A new endowment will support doctoral students at the U of A. The Kaneaster and Ruth Lindley Hodges Entrepreneurial Fellowship Award will provide a level of scholarship that is competitive with the most prestigious scholarships available to graduate students and enhance work under of the Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows Program.

The endowment is supported by a donation of $ 825,000 from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

“This donation from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation is a fitting tribute to Kaneaster’s involvement in the foundation and his family’s support at the University of Arkansas,” Chancellor Joe Steinmetz said. “The pioneering work of our Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows program is both exciting and inspiring, and it’s just getting started. Our students have the ability to positively impact the economic development of our region and state, and providing them with the necessary funding to focus on their entrepreneurial activities will help them immensely. Associating the Hodges name with this prestigious award amplifies their family’s commitment to higher education and recognizes their service to state and university over the years.

“Kaneaster and Lindley are dynamic and engaging Arkansians who have made a difference to our state, our country and my family,” said Rob Walton. “Our relationships stretch back decades to our time in Newport, Arkansas. We recognize and appreciate their service both in the State and in the US Senate. Beyond their commitment to service, we are grateful for their role. friends and advisers to our family. “

Recipients of the new scholarship will be chosen from the Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows program, established in 2020, with additional investments from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

The program aims to support 12 to 15 outstanding graduate students each year to pursue intensive entrepreneurship training. These students work towards the incubation-like Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and collaborate in interdisciplinary teams to develop and validate business ideas for the benefit of a community of seasoned mentors, secure seed funding and participate. to a range of international business plan and start-up competitions. .

Since 2002, students in the U of A’s New Venture Development Core Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship courses have won over $ 3 million in prizes and raised over $ 60 million to build their business. The program has more than 40 start-ups and organizations founded by its alumni.

The existing program offers a graduate assistant position and a scholarship of $ 8,000 to $ 12,000 to qualified students, so that they can spend most of their time working on their business during the certificate program. The Kaneaster and Ruth Lindley Hodges Entrepreneurial Fellowship Award will provide an additional stipend of $ 10,000 to three exceptionally qualified doctoral students per year. These students will receive the designation of Kaneaster and Ruth Lindley Hodges Entrepreneurial Fellows and will be honored in a graduation celebration, including their academic advisors and the community of mentors.

Sarah Goforth, Executive Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said: “If universities are engines of discovery, graduate students are its fuel. The Kaneaster and Ruth Lindley Hodges Entrepreneurial Fellowship Award will support an outstanding doctorate. students in the pursuit of in-depth entrepreneurial training, enabling them to make the connection between their academic research and the issues that concern them in society and industry.

A native of Newport, Kaneaster Hodges Jr. is a former United States Senator and Chairman and Board Member of the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, and is an alumnus of the U of A School of Law. He has served on the Pryor Center Advisory Board, the University Advisory Board, the 21st Century Campaign Steering Committee, and the Arkansas Campaign Steering Committee. He was named Volunteer of the Year in 1991 by the university and served as a trustee of the U of A.

Ruth Lindley Hodges is a graduate of the College of Occupations in Education and Health and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education. She and her husband are life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and are part of the Towers of Old Main, a donation society for the university’s most generous benefactors.

In 2005, University Libraries dedicated the Lindley and Kaneaster Hodges Jr. Reading Room to the Mullins Library, with support from a donation from Pat and John A. Cooper Jr. of Bella Vista. The name recognizes Hodges’ service to the State of Arkansas and the U of A.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A offers internationally competitive education in over 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $ 2.2 billion to the Arkansas economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while providing training in professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A among the top 3% of US colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. American News and World Report ranks the U of A among the best public universities in the country. Find out how the U of A is working to build a better world on Arkansas Research News.

About the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation: Established in 1987, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation supports education and community initiatives in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.