Coles Continue Path of Support With $250,000 Advance Arkansas Gift

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Nick and Carolyn Cole.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nicholas and Carolyn Cole are adding yet another gift to their generous history of giving to the University of Arkansas with a $250,000 commitment to the Honors College Path Program.

Their contribution will create the Nicholas and Carolyn Cole Honors College Path Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship and support students who enrich the diverse educational environment at the university.

The Colorado couple’s gift was counted in Campaign Arkansas, the university’s capital campaign that raised more than $1.449 billion to advance academic opportunity at the U of A.

“Nick and Carolyn Cole have long been benefactors of our Path Program, which opens the door to higher education for students from underrepresented populations, and helps them succeed once they arrive on campus,” said Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College. “We appreciate their generous support of these exceptional students, as well as their service on the Honors College Campaign Committee.”

The Nicholas and Carolyn Cole Honors College Path Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship will support students from Arkansas who are involved in the Honors College Path Program and who exhibit some financial need, records of academic success, civic engagement and/or community leadership. Preference will be given to students who are the first in their families to pursue a four-year baccalaureate degree. Recipients must also contribute to a diverse educational environment at the university.

“We learned of Bob and Linda McMath’s Path Program and were immediately intrigued by the fact that scholarships would go to students from the underrepresented population, such as from low-income families and first-generation college attendees on their way to graduation,” said the Coles.

The Honors College Path Program prepares exceptional high school students from underrepresented populations to excel at the University of Arkansas. Students are paired with peer and professional mentors to help make the most out of the college experience, and the program encourages academic success and leadership development for each student.

“The fact that Honors College students can major in any subject, live in the Honors College dormitory and are given mentors for guidance are benefits for all Honors College students,” the couple said. “These factors are especially advantageous for Path Program students. We are proud to support the University of Arkansas, the Honors College and the Path Program.”

The Coles’ most recent gift is not their first in support of the Path Program. In 2014, they pledged $250,000 to establish the Nick and Carolyn Cole Honors College Path Endowed Scholarship. Previous gifts to the university also benefited the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, the Carolyn Walton Endowed Fund in Creative Writing and the Carolyn F. Walton Graduate Fellowship in Creative Writing.

The Coles both served on the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee, as well as the Honors College campaign committee. They are members of the Chancellor’s Society and are counted as Thoroughreds for their 20 years of consecutive giving to the university. They are also gold members of the Towers of Old Main, a giving society for the university’s most generous benefactors.

Carolyn Cole holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is a lifetime member of the Arkansas Alumni Association and is a member of the Women’s Giving Circle. Nicholas Cole graduated from Texas Christian University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the recently concluded capital campaign for the University of Arkansas that raised a record $1.449 billion to support the university’s academic mission and other key priorities, including 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 fewer than 3% of colleges and 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.