UAMS to open Fayetteville campus
Local groups fund construction
Bailey McBride
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: News
A $100,000 gift from the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation, $300,000 from the Walton family and gifts of $500,000 from Don Tyson and the Tyson Family Foundation, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation and Johnelle Hunt will help fund the development and construction of the University of Arkansas for Medical Science Northwest Arkansas satellite campus.
The new campus will be located in Fayetteville and is scheduled to open for the fall 2009 semester. Its goal is to address growing health care work force shortages by allowing UAMS to further increase its enrollment. The school will be located in the former Washington Regional Medical Center building at North College Avenue.
The gift from the NACF came in August 2008, the Waltons' gift came Nov. 17, and the latest donations from three area philanthropists was announced Nov. 19 at a news conference in Rogers. This helped the school, which had been just $1.5 million shy of the $3 million necessary, be completed on time to meet its goals.
Peter O. Kohler, vice chancellor for the Northwest Arkansas Region of UAMS, is leading the northwest campus effort by working with community leaders, hospital administrators and local health care providers to help the project get underway.
"This new campus will benefit Northwest Arkansas and the entire state as UAMS trains more physicians and other health care workers to meet the needs of patients," Kohler said.
Many students were surprised to hear about the expansion of UAMS to be closer to the Fayetteville campus.
"I didn't even know we were expanding," said Lacie Coburn, a sophomore biology major. Coburn also said she didn't know what effect the new campus would have on her choice of medical programs upon graduation.
"I think the new UAMS campus will be a great addition to the UA in Fayetteville," said Jennifer Terminella, a junior journalism major. "It will give those students wanting to stay in the [Northwest] Arkansas area more options."
The new campus will be located in Fayetteville and is scheduled to open for the fall 2009 semester. Its goal is to address growing health care work force shortages by allowing UAMS to further increase its enrollment. The school will be located in the former Washington Regional Medical Center building at North College Avenue.
The gift from the NACF came in August 2008, the Waltons' gift came Nov. 17, and the latest donations from three area philanthropists was announced Nov. 19 at a news conference in Rogers. This helped the school, which had been just $1.5 million shy of the $3 million necessary, be completed on time to meet its goals.
Peter O. Kohler, vice chancellor for the Northwest Arkansas Region of UAMS, is leading the northwest campus effort by working with community leaders, hospital administrators and local health care providers to help the project get underway.
"This new campus will benefit Northwest Arkansas and the entire state as UAMS trains more physicians and other health care workers to meet the needs of patients," Kohler said.
Many students were surprised to hear about the expansion of UAMS to be closer to the Fayetteville campus.
"I didn't even know we were expanding," said Lacie Coburn, a sophomore biology major. Coburn also said she didn't know what effect the new campus would have on her choice of medical programs upon graduation.
"I think the new UAMS campus will be a great addition to the UA in Fayetteville," said Jennifer Terminella, a junior journalism major. "It will give those students wanting to stay in the [Northwest] Arkansas area more options."
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