U of A's 'Party With a Purpose' Sets New Record for Participation and Giving

Photo by Whit Pruitt

Alumnus and ABC News anchorman T.J. Holmes calls the hogs with his daughter, Sabine, and members of the Student Alumni Association at the All In for Arkansas Birthday Bash on April 4.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas’ third annual giving day, All In for Arkansas, once again showed the power of social media, promoted participation and succeeded in surpassing the number of gifts received in previous years. Preliminary reports show that 1,292 gifts were made during the event, raising a total of $433,744.

All In took place during a 1,871-minute period from 6 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, to 1:11 p.m. Thursday, April 5. The duration of the event symbolizes the university’s founding year of 1871, and this year’s festivities celebrated the 147th birthday of the U of A. 

Early in the event, Chancellor Joe Steinmetz and his wife, Sandy, announced a challenge to donors, offering $14,700 in student support funding once 500 gifts were made. That goal was met on April 4, and the Steinmetzes’ gift was allocated to the Advance Arkansas scholarship initiative, which was launched during All In for Arkansas in 2017.

“We’ve seen tremendous support of Advance Arkansas over the last year,” Chancellor Steinmetz said. “Our first 10 recipients were awarded scholarships last fall, and funding for this initiative has exceeded $3 million. Gifts made during All In for Arkansas are important to the growth of this scholarship program and directly support Arkansas students who want to earn a college degree.”

Another challenge gift of $100,000 was also issued for the Advance Arkansas scholarship program from an anonymous donor in honor of Joe and Sandy Steinmetz.

Preliminary reports show $130,685 was raised for Advance Arkansas during this year’s giving day. 

“All In for Arkansas is truly a campuswide effort,” said Mark Power, vice chancellor for university advancement. “It brings everyone together and unites all in a common goal. Everyone in the Division of University Advancement partnered together to make this day a success, and they had tremendous support from the university’s faculty, staff and students. Our student ambassador team was stronger than ever this year, and they did a wonderful job mobilizing student engagement and participation during the event.

“All In for Arkansas is about more than just raising private gift support. It’s also about educating our students and the community on the importance of higher education and the many opportunities it affords. All In for Arkansas – and in a broader sense, Campaign Arkansas, the university’s capital campaign – demonstrates how every gift truly makes a difference in our ability to increase accessibility and offer a transformational experience for students.”

In addition to the virtual celebration that took place throughout All In for Arkansas, the university also held a birthday bash for students, staff and faculty on the Union Mall. The event was hosted by the Student Alumni Association and included a special appearance by ABC News anchorman T.J. Holmes, a 1999 graduate of the U of A and the Arkansas Alumni Association 2018 Johnson Fellow.

For a complete recap of All in for Arkansas, visit allinforarkansas.uark.edu.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.