Hynemans Expand Access to Education With Scholarship Endowment

For Ben and Janet (Herget) Hyneman, creating opportunity for Arkansas students has always come first. Their latest step in this commitment is a $50,000 investment in the Land of Opportunity Scholarship endowment that will help more students arrive prepared, persist through graduation and build successful futures.

"The Hynemans' connection to the University of Arkansas is measured not just in years, but in generations," said Chancellor Charles Robinson. "As alumni, parents, grandparents and longtime supporters, they have consistently championed and strengthened this institution. Through this gift to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship, they will continue to uplift Arkansas students for many generations to come. We are deeply grateful to Ben and Janet for their generosity and unwavering commitment to educational access and student success."

Ben Hyneman is a former member and past chair of the U of A Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the board in 2008 and served until 2018. Hyneman said that while he served on the board, the trustees focused on making the U of A more accessible to potential students in eastern and southern Arkansas. He said they witnessed good students from these areas choosing to attend other schools, citing the distance to Fayetteville as a key factor. The extra expenses of travel, room and board hindered students and their families from choosing the U of A.

“I was a strong advocate for efforts to better reach these students during my time on the board,” Ben said. “We are excited about the Land of Opportunity Scholarship, and we wanted to be supportive and help in that regard. We support Chancellor Robinson and his efforts, and the Hunt family stepped up in a big way, too. We’re very appreciative of them, and we just want to help do our part.”

Ben is originally from Trumann, and Janet grew up in Paragould. The couple met as students at the U of A. They both graduated in 1971 — Ben with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Sam M. Walton College of Business and Janet with a bachelor’s degree from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Janet Hyneman has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University Libraries since its inception in 2020, helping to provide guidance and advocacy to support the mission, programs and long-term goals of the Libraries. She is also a former board member of the Jonesboro Chapter of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

The Hynemans have supported the U of A in various other capacities throughout the years, including a gift to the University Libraries in 2016. That gift formalized the Libraries’ arts and lecture series and provided students, faculty and community visitors with an environment of cultural and artistic enrichment. The gift was made as a part of Campaign Arkansas, the university’s capital campaign that concluded in 2019. The Hynemans also served on the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee.

Ben and his brother, Hal Hyneman, a 1977 graduate of the U of A, also made an endowed gift from Hyneman and Associates in honor of their parents to establish the Frank and Marzee Ann Hyneman Access Arkansas Scholarship. They initially established the scholarship in 2006 and upgraded it in 2009 during the university’s Access Arkansas scholarship funding initiative.

“Ben and Janet have long been thoughtful champions for Arkansas students,” said Scott Varady, vice chancellor for university advancement. “In every conversation, their focus is on expanding opportunity and helping students reach their full potential. Their generosity reflects not only a deep commitment to this university, but a genuine belief in the promise of our students. We are grateful for the Hynemans’ friendship and the lasting impact they continue to make across our state.”

The Hynemans live in Jonesboro, where Ben is the chairman of Southern Pioneer Insurance Company and of Hyneman and Associates Inc. The Hyneman family have been leaders in the insurance sector for generations.

They describe themselves as proud graduates of the U of A and avid Razorbacks fans. The Hynemans’ sons, Brian and Matt, are both graduates of the Walton College of Business, and Brian also earned a Juris Doctor from the U of A School of Law. Their daughter, Lindsey, attended the university, as well, before finishing her degree at the University of Mississippi. Two of their grandchildren are current students at the U of A, and Janet’s father, Alfred Herget, attended in the 1940s.

The Hynemans are life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and members of the Chancellor’s Society and are recognized as Thoroughreds for their 36 consecutive years of giving to the U of A. In 2017, they were inducted into the Towers of Old Main, a giving society for the university’s most generous benefactors.

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.