FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The final opportunity to submit ideas for consideration as a part of the University of Arkansas' 150th anniversary celebration is quickly approaching. The campus community and other university stakeholders have until Jan. 29 to submit ideas for sesquicentennial events and activities.

"The ideas we've received so far from our campus community and beyond are outstanding and inspiring," said Mark Rushing, co-chair of the Sesquicentennial Planning Team. "We encourage everyone to share their ideas with us, no matter how small or how challenging they could be to pull off. If you have an idea and haven't submitted it yet, please do so now." 

Ideas should help reinforce the university's current impact and future direction as well as celebrating previous accomplishments and milestones. Idea submissions will be reviewed by the Sesquicentennial Planning Team and 10 specialized working groups tasked with planning projects and events for the 150th anniversary in 2021. 

"It's important to get all the ideas on the table now as we begin to transition from the ideation phase to the implementation phase of our planning process this spring," Rushing said. "Many of these efforts will require a great deal of planning and teamwork throughout the year to be ready for the start of the sesquicentennial. We couldn't coordinate an event of this magnitude without the help of so many people across campus — students, faculty and staff working together to come up with ideas and then developing the plans to turn those ideas into reality." 

The Sesquicetennial Planning Team started accepting idea submissions in June 2019. 

The year-long commemoration will begin Jan. 1, 2021, building momentum to late March, when the university was founded in 1871, and continuing through the fall semester and ending in early 2022. A celebration of the 150th anniversary of the university's first day of classes on Jan. 22, 2022, will mark the sesquicentennial's official conclusion.

More information about the planning process is available online at 150planning.uark.edu. 

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 fewer than 2.7 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.