The U of A will award an honorary degree to U of A School of Law alumnus and successful businessman Richard "Rick" Massey during its spring university commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at 8:30 a.m. in Bud Walton Arena.

Massey graduated from the U of A School of Law with honors. After graduation, he became an attorney with Rose Law Firm in Little Rock and practiced corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions law and served as a managing director of Stephens Inc. Massey has founded several companies, including banks. For more than 40 years, he's worked in corporate finance and banking and served as an investor, CEO, director and adviser to public and private businesses primarily in financial services and fintech.

Since February 2019, Massey has served as a member of the board of directors for Dun & Bradstreet Holdings Inc. He is also a director for Alight Inc., and he serves as CEO and director for Jena Acquisition Corporation II. Furthermore, Massey is a non-controlling shareholder of the following professional sports teams: Vegas Golden Knights (NHL), FC Bournemouth (English Premier League), FC Lorient (La Ligue), Hibernian FC (Scottish Premiership) and Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).

He previously served as CEO of Cannae Holdings, Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp I, Austerlitz Acquisition Corp I and Austerlitz Acquisition Corp II. Massey led the acquisition and rehab, and served as the chairman, CEO and principal shareholder of Bear State Financial Inc., until its sale to Arvest Bank in April 2018.  He was the chief strategy officer and general counsel of Alltel Corporation. He has also served on the boards of Cannae Holdings, Black Knight Inc., Fidelity National Financial, Fidelity Information Services and FGL Holdings.

In addition, Massey is a director of the Arkansas Razorback Foundation. During his service on the board, he has made substantive contributions in governance and management to the foundation's operations. He played a critical role in updating the foundation's bylaws, enforcing its legal agreements and helping guide the organization through the pandemic when the impact on support was unknown. He also served as a member of the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee and helped lead the university's comprehensive fundraising campaign that raised nearly $1.5 billion.

Through the Massey Family Charitable Foundation, Massey has provided financial support to several on-campus facilities, including Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the Frank O'Mara High Performance Track and Field Center and the Fred W. Smith Football Center. The Massey Family Charitable Foundation has financially supported the Advance Arkansas Scholarship and the Land of Opportunity Scholarship. Massey and his wife of 39 years, Anne Goodman, were inducted into the Towers of Old Main, and Massey has received the Chancellor's Medal for his philanthropy toward the U of A.

Beyond the U of A, Massey serves on the board of directors and has been a past chair of The Oxford American, a national, award-winning literary publication focused on the South and housed at the University of Central Arkansas. Massey has been a long-time financial supporter of the University of Central Arkansas, high school football in Central Arkansas (Parkview Patriots), Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), Episcopal Collegiate School, the Little Rock Animal Village, Keith Jackson's P.A.R.K., the Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame, Clark County (Nevada) Foster Care System and the Folded Flag Foundation.

The U of A will conduct multiple ceremonies on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, to celebrate this semester's more than 5,600 graduates. Coleman Warren, a 2022 U of A graduate and Rhodes Scholar, will be the featured speaker at the spring commencement ceremony. Learn more about spring commencement.

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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 $3 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 few 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 and Economic Development News.