FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - University of Arkansas Campaign for the Twenty-First Century volunteers John A. Cooper Jr. and Pat Mc Innis Cooper, of Bella Vista, have made a gift of $525,000 to the University of Arkansas. Their gift will provide initial funding to endow a faculty chair in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The John A. Cooper Sr. Distinguished Chair of Diplomatic History was created in 1984 by the Fulbright College in honor of John A. Cooper Sr. Since then, the chair has been held by Randall Woods, distinguished professor and dean of Fulbright College.

"We are grateful to John and Pat Cooper for their generous gift," said UA Chancellor John A. White. "Endowed chairs enable us to recognize and honor world-class faculty members, such as Randall Woods, who have risen to eminence in their respective disciplines and done so much over the years to strengthen the University’s academic quality and reputation. Recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty are absolutely essential if we are to realize our vision of a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world. The Coopers’ generosity moves us ever closer to that goal."

Income from an endowed chair position, which is fully funded with a principal of $1.5 million, can be used to supplement the holder’s salary and provide funds for graduate assistants’ salaries, course development, equipment and research. Chair holders are able to provide research opportunities for promising undergraduate and graduate students as a result of such supplemental funds.

The Coopers’ gift is given as a part of the University’s Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. The Campaign’s goal is to raise $500 million in gifts from private sources by June 30, 2004. Campaign funds are being raised for six critical areas of need: endowed faculty positions, scholarship funds, academic programs, University Libraries, new and improved University facilities support and annual giving.

John A. Cooper Jr. attended the University of Arkansas and was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He has been with Cooper Communities, Inc. in Bella Vista since 1961 and currently serves as its chairman, president and CEO. Cooper Communities is the developer of residential retirement-recreation communities located in Arkansas and Tennessee such as Cherokee Village, Bella Vista Village and Hot Springs Village. He serves on the Arkansas Business Council and is a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee.

Pat Cooper attended the University of Mississippi. She serves on the boards of the Arkansas Cancer Research Foundation, Donald W. Reynolds Center On Aging Advisory Board and is a trustee of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee and serves on the Women in Philanthropy Committee for the Campaign.

G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor for University Advancement, said, "John and Pat Cooper have been loyal benefactors to the University of Arkansas and we are grateful for their continued support. Their participation as members of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century is most appreciated. This gift demonstrates leadership and commitment to the success of the Campaign and to the University of Arkansas."

The Coopers have supported a series of economic impact studies through the Cooperative Extension Service and were recently inducted into the Towers of Old Main, the society that recognizes individuals who have given at least $100,000 to the University over a lifetime.

Randall Woods, dean of Fulbright College said, "I am honored to be the first holder of this chair. An endowed chair represents one of the most significant ways in which the College can remain competitive. Too often, our best faculty are lured away to other research universities that offer them endowed faculty posts. Every endowed chair helps the University of Arkansas strengthen its academic quality. We are grateful for the Coopers’ gift to endow the John A. Cooper Sr. Chair."

Woods joined the University of Arkansas faculty in 1971, after earning bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as associate dean of the Fulbright College from 1979-1982.

He is the author of "J. William Fulbright, Vietnam, and the Search for a Cold War Foreign Policy," published by Cambridge University Press, 1998, and "Quest for Identity: A History of Postwar America," published by Harcourt College Publishers, 2000.

His earlier "Fulbright: A Biography" (Cambridge University Press, 1995) won the 1996 Robert H. Ferrell Prize for best book on American foreign relations and the 1996 Virginia Ledbetter prize for the best book on Southern studies. It also was nominated for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

He is currently working on a biography of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and is the author of five other books and scores of scholarly articles and book chapters on international relations, U.S. history, U.S. diplomatic history and African-American history.