FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Cintas has donated 57,000 masks to the University of Arkansas for use by students, faculty and staff during the fall semester – a gift-in-kind donation valued at more than $140,000.

The masks have already been distributed to academic and administrative units on campus and can be utilized for extra protection against COVID-19.

Melissa Harwood-Rom, dean of students and interim vice chancellor for student affairs, said the masks will be useful to the campus community as they are welcomed back this fall.

“These masks will contribute significantly to our strategy for a successful face-to-face fall,” she said. “Our ability to provide masks in the classroom will enhance the safety for students, faculty and staff.”

Mary Alice Serafini, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of the Pat Walker Health Center, noted that the timing of this donation is especially beneficial given the rise in the Delta variant across the United States.

“With the rapid transmission of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the ability to provide masks to our community to mitigate transmission through evidence-based practices, such as masking, is greatly appreciated and very timely,” she said. “The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a high priority. And with this large donation, the U of A will be able to ensure there will be added protection in the classroom and across campus.

“Members of the university community are persistent in their practice of respiratory hygiene, which is a necessity as we reconvene on campus for another academic year. These masks will meet a public health need to create a culture of protecting oneself as well as others.”

Cintas is an industry leader in supplying corporate identity uniform programs, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service. The company operates almost 500 facilities in North America, including five manufacturing facilities and 13 distribution centers.

“We hope this donation of masks to the University of Arkansas will help students, faculty and staff feel more comfortable and safe as in-person learning on campus returns this fall,” said Ryan Scogin, Cintas’ general manager at location 65 in Springdale, Ark. “We’re pleased to be able to support the university’s efforts at maintaining a safer community amid COVID-19’s resurgence.” 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.

About Cintas Corporation: Cintas Corporation helps more than 1 million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. The company is also the creator of the Total Clean Program™ – a first-of-its-kind service that includes scheduled delivery of essential cleaning supplies, hygienically clean laundering, and sanitizing and disinfecting products and services. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.