DANIEL E. FERRITOR HALL DEDICATION SET FOR MARCH 2 ON THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS CAMPUS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Chancellor Emeritus Daniel Ferritor helped rally the state of Arkansas to contribute nearly $13 million toward restoring Old Main, which was rededicated to new generations of students in 1991. Now, a decade later, the University of Arkansas will dedicate the Daniel E. Ferritor Hall, named in honor of a chancellor who became known by many as one of the UA’s best cheerleaders.

The ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. on March 2, at Ferritor Hall, north of the Science-Engineering Building (located to the south of Old main, just follow the brick sidewalk.) The public is invited to the dedication and the reception afterward. Tents will be set up for the outdoor announcement - heaters will also be provided in the instance of chilly weather. After the presentation speeches, refreshments will be served and guests are welcome to tour the first floor of the building. Graduate students will be posted at each entrance and will be happy to answer guests’ questions about the labs.

"Naming the building for Dr. Ferritor allows us to thank him permanently for his leadership and his enormous contributions to this campus," said Chancellor White. "His devotion to students and to creating traditions of excellence established a strong foundation for our goal of emerging as a nationally competitive, student-centered research university."

In addition to Dr. Ferritor and Chancellor White, speakers for the ceremony will include J. Thomas May, Chair of the Board of Trustees; B. Alan Sugg, UA System President; Randall B. Woods, Dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Donald Roufa, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.

After serving 11 years as Chancellor, Dr. Ferritor returned to the Department of Sociology to teach in the fall 1998 semester. His length of service was surpassed only by John C. Futrall, who served 26 years, and David W. Mulllins, who served 14 years.

In 1984 Ferritor received the UA Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teaching and Research and in 2000, the Chancellor’s Medal. Always active outside the university, he has served as a member of the board of directors of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Washington County, and the NWA Regional Airport Authority. He is currently chairman of the board for the Ozark Guidance Center, 2001 chair of the American Heart Association Walk for Northwest Arkansas, and a trustee of the Harvey and Bernice Jones Charitable Trust.

"While he was chancellor, Dr. Ferritor demonstrated his strong commitment to undergraduate education by establishing the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and by joining other distinguished professors in teaching freshman-level classes. When he founded the Arkansas Scholars program, he substantially strengthened the ongoing effort to bring the top students in the state to the U of A," said Fulbright College Dean Randall Woods. "He continues to serve with distinction as a University Professor in the college."

Ferritor led the University’s successful first capital campaign, which raised $175 million for student scholarships, facilities and programs. A boom in new construction during his time as Chancellor led to an additional two million square feet in classroom, laboratory and library space.

Ferritor Hall, which opened in August 2000, contains nearly 40,000 square feet of space for 31 research laboratories, 30 in biological sciences and one in geosciences, and nine environmental rooms. Funding for the $10.8 million building came from $7 million in college savings bonds and the remainder from state appropriations. Construction began in November 1997.

For more information or to see pictures of the building under construction, go to

http://biology.uark.edu/NewBuilding.html