FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Tyson, chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods Inc. and a Steering Committee member of the University of Arkansas’ Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, today gave a $500,000 boost from the Tyson Foundation to the Randal Tyson Memorial Endowed Scholarship/Fellowship Fund.

A check presentation was held today at the John W. Tyson Building, which is home to the Center for Excellence in Poultry Science on the University of Arkansas campus.

The Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship was established by the Tyson family in 1993 and is designated toward juniors and seniors who are poultry science majors in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The scholarship is awarded by the poultry science department to applicants who demonstrate a strong academic background, leadership ability and professional potential in the poultry industry.

The poultry science department awarded $197,587 in scholarship dollars during the 2000-2001 fiscal year. Of that amount, 24 percent came from the Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship/Fellowship Endowment Funds, the principal for which was $709,000 before today’s gift. The department provides awards and scholarships to a number of students annually from the Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship/Fellowship Fund, and chooses one student each academic year as the recipient of a major scholarship. This academic year’s recipient is Jill Townsend, a senior poultry science major from Malvern, Ark. She will graduate in May 2002.

"We are so pleased that John Tyson chose to supplement generously the scholarship fund endowed in his uncle’s memory," said UA Chancellor John A. White. "John Tyson is a proven leader in the corporate world, and continues to lead by example in the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. He serves as chair of the Corporation and Foundation Relations Committee, and as a member of the executive committee of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee. This gift is an expression of his confidence in the success of the Campaign. It will allow more students to benefit from the Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship Fund and will move us closer to realizing our vision of a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world.

"Tyson’s gift is given in part of the Campaign. 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.

Greg Weidemann, interim dean of the Bumpers College said, "The competition for the nation’s best and brightest students is intense. Many of our most gifted high school students have a number of options and in many cases a scholarship will have a big impact on their decision. As the CEO of the nation’s largest poultry firm, John Tyson knows full well the value in attracting the best and brightest. This enhancement to the Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship Fund will provide opportunities for even more students with an interest in careers in poultry science. These students will become the leaders of tomorrow in the industry.

"Tyson Foods Inc., of Springdale, Ark., with the recent merger of IBP, a pork and beef producing company, has become the world’s largest protein provider.

John Tyson earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Southern Methodist University in 1975. The Tyson family has supported many projects and programs at the University including the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House building project, the University of Arkansas Press and the Randal Tyson Track Center. He is actively involved in the well being and education of children in Arkansas and is actively involved in Walden Woods, a nonprofit land conservation organization, founded to protect the famed retreat of author Henry David Thoreau.

Tyson said, "Tyson Foods and the Tyson Family believe in supporting education. The University of Arkansas poultry science department has been a good source of quality graduates, many of whom become employees of Tyson Foods. By increasing the Randal Tyson Memorial Scholarship Endowment, our desire was to provide more opportunities for a greater number of high-ability students with an interest in the poultry industry.

"Additionally, my work as a Campaign volunteer has given me the chance to see first-hand the needs of the University, and through that, I’ve become an enthusiastic supporter of Chancellor White’s vision for the institution. There are many ways in which corporations and foundations may create mutually beneficial relationships with the University of Arkansas, and we hope to set an example for others."

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