The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) has received multiple endowments through a grant from the Windgate Foundation totaling $6.24 million, the largest gift to the UAM Foundation in university history.
The funding will target two areas: need-based scholarships and enhancements to the UAM School of Education and the UAM School of Nursing.
Of the total amount, $6 million will establish four endowments that will generate sustainable funding each year through the UAM Foundation. An additional bridge grant of $240,000 will provide immediate support for these initiatives as the endowments begin to earn interest.
The funding package includes $2 million dedicated to need-based scholarships available to eligible students across all majors at UAM, aiming to remove financial barriers that limit student access to higher education.
The additional $4 million will be allocated to bolster nursing and teacher education programs through three endowments.
The nursing and teacher education endowments include $1.5 million to establish the Windgate Foundation – Faculty Support Endowment, $1.5 million to establish the Windgate Foundation – Program Enhancements and Technological Integration Endowment and $1 million to establish the Windgate Foundation – Student Scholarships Endowment.
The faculty support endowment will be used to recruit and retain nursing and teacher education faculty and increase salaries for highly trained faculty in those areas.
The program enhancement endowment will provide support for equipment upgrades, incorporating new technologies into teaching methods and improving simulation labs and learning resources.
The student scholarship endowment will fund merit and need-based scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students in nursing and teacher education programs.
The 2025 grant marks the fifth gift that the Windgate Foundation has awarded to UAM. In 2020, a $50,000 grant was awarded to support visual arts, enabling the establishment of a graphic design lab for the art program at UAM.
Two years later, the university received $205,415, which was designated for need-based scholarships, nursing instructors and lab equipment. In 2023, UAM received a grant of $298,924 for scholarships and equipment upgrades for the UAM Colleges of Technology.
Last year, the Windgate Foundation awarded UAM $750,000 for the renovation of an existing building for a new university art facility.
“The ongoing support from the Windgate Foundation has been transformative for UAM, allowing us to strengthen our academic programs, enhance infrastructure and better serve the needs of our students and faculty,” Peggy Doss, UAM chancellor, said in a press release. “We are immensely appreciative of our continued partnership, which is crucial for building a brighter future for Arkansas by making quality education more accessible and impactful for a greater number of individuals.”
The Windgate Foundation was established in 1993 and is a private, family foundation based in Little Rock.
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