The Schoen Foundation of Naples, Florida, has contributed $1 million to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign at the University of Arkansas.
The gift honors William J. Schoen, a Marine Corps veteran and distinguished business leader who led Health Management Associates of Florida from modest beginnings into a Fortune 500 company.
Schoen left high school to support his family, and enlisted in the Marines at age 17. He served in Korea from 1953 to 1956 before completing eight years of active and reserve duty.
Schoen’s business career included executive leadership roles in manufacturing and finance, ultimately leading him to join Health Management Associates in 1983. The Schoen Foundation was founded in 1993 by William and Sharon Schoen in Naples, Florida.
“Our foundation is dedicated to honoring his legacy by supporting students in our communities through expanding access, providing critical resources and helping to remove financial barriers that stand in the way of their goals,” Kelsey Sutton, program officer and trustee for the Schoen Foundation, said in a press release. “We believe education represents opportunity, and empowering students to seize those opportunities is truly meaningful to us.”
With the contribution, the Schoen Foundation joins the Leaders of Arkansas Founders’ Circle, a group of benefactors who have each committed at least $1 million to the scholarship campaign.
The Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign is a three-year initiative to increase educational access for students from Arkansas. The campaign seeks to provide direct support for students, strengthen partnerships between the university and businesses across Arkansas and serve the state through education and economic development.
“Our hope is that this scholarship helps remove financial barriers so students across Arkansas can not only attend the University of Arkansas but truly thrive once they arrive,” Sutton said in the release. “We believe education opens doors for individuals, which helps strengthen the communities they’re part of.”
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