Arkansas Roots, Lasting Impact: Hales' $500,000 Gift Supports Student Success

University of Arkansas alumna Leah Glover Hales has committed $500,000 to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship Endowment. The planned gift will help cover the costs of college attendance while connecting scholarship recipients to resources that improve academic success and long-term outcomes for students with high financial need. These students meet the same admission standards as their peers but often must work long hours to cover tuition and living expenses, limiting their ability to fully engage in academics, internships, research and other opportunities.

The Land of Opportunity Scholarship helps reduce financial barriers that can prevent high-potential Arkansans from accessing higher education and ensures that financial circumstances do not limit their academic potential. When those barriers are reduced and comprehensive support is in place, students are better positioned to succeed.

In addition to financial assistance, each Land of Opportunity scholar will have access to mentorship, academic coaching, financial planning and career development through the CORD Student Success Center and campus partners. These resources support student success, a key pillar of the university’s 150 Forward strategic plan and a critical component of its land-grant mission. By improving outcomes for students with the greatest financial need across all 75 Arkansas counties, the scholarship advances student success while reinforcing the university’s commitment to serving the state.

“Leah Hales’ story is deeply rooted in Arkansas, and this extraordinary gift ensures that story will continue through the lives of generations of Razorbacks who will benefit from her generosity,” said Chancellor Charles Robinson. “We are deeply grateful that she is using the success she experienced after graduating from the University of Arkansas to create opportunity for talented, hardworking students across the state.”

Hales, a graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and longtime supporter of the university, made her first major philanthropic commitment to the U of A in 2020 with a gift to the Fay Jones School. She said that giving back was both personal and purposeful. The program has helped define her career, and she wanted to ensure it remained strong for future students.

Hales’ support for the Land of Opportunity Scholarship came from a similar conviction, but with a broader focus.

“I wanted to improve access to education for as many students as possible,” Hales said. “Personally, I would love to see students interested in architecture and design benefit from this gift, but the Land of Opportunity Scholarship will meet the needs of a larger population of students.”

"Leah's generous commitment ensures more Arkansas students have access to a college education, hands-on and real-world learning opportunities, and the academic and career support that help them succeed from their first day on campus through graduation and beyond,” said Scott Varady, vice chancellor for advancement. “Those experiences help students build strong foundations for their careers and their futures. We’re thankful for Leah’s support and the doors it opens for students and families across Arkansas.”

For others who might consider supporting the Land of Opportunity Scholarship, Hales offers a simple challenge: reflect on what a college education made possible in your own life.

“College changed my life,” she said. “For students across Arkansas — especially in rural communities — this scholarship opens doors they might never imagine on their own.”

Hales grew up just outside Little Rock in Saline County and graduated from Bryant High School. Her father began his career as a tool and die maker before building a successful career as a hardware engineer with AT&T, contributing to the development of early computer systems despite never earning a college degree. Her mother worked in outside industrial sales, traveling across Arkansas to supply factories throughout the state. Together, they modeled hard work, problem-solving and self-reliance, values that shaped Hales’ outlook and career.

“I think that their hard work and discipline really rubbed off on me and my brother,” Hales said. “We’re both successful in very different fields, but we share that same drive and ingenuity.”

Hales’ parents were Razorback Club members as far back as the 1960s, which helped foster her deep connection to the U of A. Hales considered other options — including joining her brother at Texas A&M — but ultimately chose Fayetteville. She enrolled in the landscape architecture program and arrived on campus with a clear sense of purpose.

The U of A quickly became central to her life. She embraced the studio and cherished the long hours spent in Memorial Hall (where the landscape architecture program was housed at the time). Hales met her husband at the university and graduated alongside him in 1994. They even welcomed their first daughter in Fayetteville just weeks before commencement.

Over the years, Hales has maintained an enduring connection to the university through financial support and service. She is currently serving in her seventh year as a member of the Fay Jones School’s Dean’s Circle. Hales also received a 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Fay Jones School in recognition of “significant, continuing contributions to the architecture and design culture locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.”

Hales is recognized as a Thoroughred for her consecutive years of giving and is included in the Towers of Old Main, a giving society for the university’s most generous benefactors. She is a Life Member of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

Hales encourages scholarship recipients to approach college with intention, urging them to think carefully about career paths.

“Choose degrees connected to real opportunities,” she said. “View college not simply as an experience, but as the foundation for a lifelong career.”

About the Land of Opportunity Scholarship: The Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign is a three-year initiative to further educational access opportunities for students from all 75 counties in Arkansas, improve graduation rates, create two-way engagement between the university and businesses throughout the state, and fulfill the institution’s land-grant mission to uplift Arkansas. As of Jan. 31, 2026, the campaign has raised 69% of its goal in 42% of the time through more than $137,336,302 in pledges and commitments. 

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.