LITTLE ROCK — FAYETTEVILLE - Former Razorbacks basketball player Ronnie Brewer chose an academic program as beneficiary of his first private gift to the University of Arkansas.
He is contributing $50,000 to the Fayetteville campus' African-American Studies program, UA officials announced Wednesday.
Brewer, 23, an early entry candidate for the 2006 NBA draft after three seasons playing for the Razorbacks, now plays for the Utah Jazz.
"I'm sure some people think athletes only give back to athletics, so I guess I'm going out on a limb," Brewer said during a news conference on the Fayetteville campus Wednesday.
"I would not be here today without the University of Arkansas," he said, describing the African-American Studies program, part of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, as "really upand-coming."
The donation will fund an endowment supporting scholarships for students in the program who also demonstrate an interest in journalism.
"The world is so diverse," said the soft-spoken Brewer. "In my opinion, you don't really see that many minority journalists."
He added he believes the field can only benefit if people from all races and all walks of life are part of it.
But there's another reason for Brewer's interest: He was majoring in broadcast journalism when he left school.
He was about 40 credits shy of a degree, and he intends to fulfill a promise to his mother by finishing school through online courses, or possibly through a combination of online and summer-school studies, he said.
UA spokesman Steve Voorhies said Brewer's gift marks the first time that an active professional athlete and former UA student-athlete has donated toan academic program.
Also attending Wednesday's news conference were Brewer's parents, former Razorback basketball player Ron Brewer Sr. and Carolyn Brewer of Fayetteville.
Ronnie Brewer's first step into philanthropy happened at Christmas, his mother said.
He bought food and toys for nine Fayetteville families he found through an Operation Blessing Basket effort, a number chosen to match his Utah Jazz jersey number, she said.
Earlier this year, her son donated a $5,000 scholarship to a student from Fayetteville High School, said Carolyn Brewer, who confessed her college background in speech pathology and communications led her to coach her son on how to speak in public.
In August, Ronnie Brewer helped Arvest Bank in Fayetteville raise about $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity by signing autographs and a Utah Jazz jersey that was part of a silent auction at the $1-per-person event.
Reporters asked Brewer how he manages to stay out of trouble when so many other athletes don't.
"I think it's all about the crowd that you keep," Brewer said, plus he wants to do his family proud. "I try to keep my name out of trouble."
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 09/04/2008