For a couple of weeks during this year's legislative session, education dominated the conversation at the state Capitol. But it was all of the K-12 variety.
This state continues to starve higher education at a time when it has never been more important. It's popular in certain circles these days to say "college isn't for everyone." That's quite true, but it's necessary for a heck of a lot more Arkansans than are currently graduating.
Arkansas ranks among the bottom three states in the percentage of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. One of these days an Arkansas governor and a majority of legislators will figure out what countless studies have shown: The state will never significantly increase its per-capita income until it increases the percentage of residents with college degrees.
One hurdle is the large number of legislators without college degrees. That number is increasing. The Arkansas Legislature was once a place where lawyers, bankers, business owners and the like served their communities. We've now seen the Legislature become the main source of income for retirees and for those unable to succeed in the private sector.
Legislative directories that once included information on where members graduated from college have deleted that line. That's not to suggest there aren't smart people without college degrees. I can name lots of them. But when you've not had that experience in your own life, it becomes more difficult to advocate for higher education funding.
As the percentage of the budget that comes from state funds has fallen, state institutions of higher education have come to rely more heavily on private contributions. It's why I'm having breakfast at the Capital Hotel in downtown Little Rock with Jerry Damerow and Alfred Williams. They're leading the current fundraising campaign for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
In addition to legislators and governors neglecting higher education, UALR faces another obstacle: its status as a stepchild in the minds of members of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. Most trustees focus on the state's flagship campus at Fayetteville. It never dawns on them that Arkansas would be far better off if its largest city were home to a first-rate research university.
Williams is a Little Rock native whose father, a dairy farmer, was the school's board chairman before it became part of the UA System. His brother-in-law, the late Cal Ledbetter, was a legendary political science professor at the school. Williams and his wife both graduated from what's now UALR.
Damerow is an Akron, Ohio, native. He was a managing partner for the accounting firm Ernst & Young when he was asked to move to Little Rock and help the company complete a merger. Damerow was living in affluent Westchester County just outside New York City when the request came. His friends in New York advised him to turn down the assignment. He didn't listen to them.
Damerow and his wife so loved Arkansas that they moved back to Little Rock following retirement.
Realizing the importance of higher education to the state, the couple donated $1 million to support science majors. The Jerry and Sherri Damerow Endowed Science Scholarship provides assistance for those majoring in earth science, astronomy, biology, physics, mathematics or chemistry.
Last fall, UALR formally announced the largest fundraising effort in its history. The campaign will end in 2027 during the school's 100th anniversary celebration. The campaign goal is $250 million. More than $168 million has already been raised.
When the campaign was announced, it was revealed that the Yupo and Susan Chan Charitable Trust had given $6.75 million to honor Yupo Chan, founding chairman of the Department of Systems Engineering. He died in 2020.
The gift provides $1.5 million for the Yupo Chan Director of the School of Engineering Endowment, $2 million for undergraduate student scholarships and $3.25 million for graduate student scholarships.
"Enrollment for engineering majors is up 12 percent," Damerow says. "We have construction firms, electric firms and other companies providing internships. We just need people to realize the importance of this institution to the entire state."
The so-called silent phase of the fundraising campaign began in 2017. Damerow and Williams say there have been more than 800 face-to-face meetings in the past year to talk with people across the state. They lament the huge percentage of Arkansas residents who have never set foot on the UALR campus and know little about the school.
Having faced a steadily declining enrollment for several years before turning things around, UALR has reduced its net price by more than 22 percent since 2018. One of the key elements of the current campaign is funding additional scholarships.
There's also an emphasis on tutoring, career coaching and emergency support in an effort to keep students from dropping out. In the past year, the school has increased its returning student retention rate by 10 percent. The university has updated a gathering space in the Ottenheimer Library known as the Learning Commons in an effort to increase engagement among students. Additional campus gathering places are planned.
Donations since the silent phase began include a $25 million gift from an anonymous donor for scholarships and student success programs, a $5.5 million gift from the Donaghey Foundation to construct a promenade called Trojan Way along with a plaza outside the library, and a $2.25 million gift from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust to educate people about Arkansas history.
Trojan Way will run from 28th Street to University Drive and include better walkways, seating areas and gathering spaces.
The total amount in endowed accounts has risen from $65 million to $122 million since 2016.
"Arkansas warmly welcomed us more than 30 years ago, and it's time for me to repay a huge debt of gratitude," Damerow says. "Most students at the school mirror my background. My parents weren't wealthy. Many students don't have that family support. They need financial help and mentoring."
Williams and Damerow mention programs in which UALR is among the national leaders. Those include criminal justice and cybersecurity.
"The number of computer science majors is up 8 percent since the previous year," Damerow says. "Almost 8,000 cybersecurity jobs are available in Arkansas right now with an average salary of $91,000. There's also a critical need for nurses in the state, and nursing just happens to be the largest major on campus with more than 1,000 students. The main challenge isn't attracting students. It's retaining qualified faculty.
"The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation has endowed millions of dollars in scholarships for nursing, and CHI St. Vincent has been our longest-running partner in offering scholarships and training opportunities."
Another growth area is nanotechnology: manipulating matter on a near-atomic scale to create structures, materials and devices. Alexandru Biris of UALR's Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences developed a technology that helps the body generate new bone tissue and helps damaged bone tissue heal.
"We're changing the world from Little Rock," Biris says. "This research will impact society by possibly giving wounded veterans, trauma patients and others an improved quality of life."
The center has received more than $25 million in grant funding since 2005.
More than 40 percent of UALR students are first-generation college students. About 58 percent of undergraduates transferred to UALR, and 41 percent of the undergraduate student body is considerated nontraditional. The student body is 55 percent white, 23 percent Black, 12 percent two or more races, 3 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian.
Through strategic partnerships with the school, employees of Amazon, CHI St. Vincent, Saline Memorial Hospital and other companies are now taking classes at UALR.
Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.