UAPB Gets $1M Gift to Establish Karlin Scholarship Fund

construction, Education, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, manufacturing, Laurence Alexander, Technology and Telecom, Grant Wangila

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff announced it received $1 million gift from the estate of Hildegard Karlin.

The gift establishes a new endowment, The Dr. Arthur and Hildegard Karlin Scholarship Fund” in accounting, taxation and faculty research.

Arthur Karlin was a member of the UAPB accounting faculty. He died in 2018 at age 78. His wife Hildegard died in 2024 at age 85.

In a news release, UAPB said the funds will support faculty and student travel, individual research and expanded student learning activities.

According to UAPB Interim Chancellor, Dr. Andrea Stewart, the award highlights the University’s growing impact and strong reputation for advancing educational access and promoting social mobility.

“The extraordinary generosity of the late Dr. Arthur and Hildegard Karlin reflects a deep and lasting belief in the transformative power of education,” Andrea Stewart, interim chancellor of the university, said in the release. “This $1 million gift will not only open doors for our students and faculty, but it also affirms the legacy and excellence of UAPB as one of Arkansas’ premier HBCUs.”

The gift is one of the largest individual estate gifts to Arkansas’ largest and oldest historically Black university.