Nabholz Funds Tech Talks, Courses at UA School of Architecture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Students at the UA School of Architecture will find new opportunities to roll up their sleeves and learn the nitty-gritty details that ensure solid construction, thanks to a $100,000 gift from Nabholz Construction Corp.

The company has pledged $100,000 to establish the Nabholz Construction Corporation Visiting Professional Series, which will support architecture students taking the rigorous technology sequence of courses. The endowed fund will bring engineers, contractors, materials specialists and others with specific technical skills to campus for two to three days annually. Depending on the topic, the visitors may lecture, present short courses in the studio, or visit a construction site with the students.

“This generous gift helps us to build a bridge between the architecture community and the construction industry,” said Jeff Shannon, dean of the School of Architecture. “We are grateful to Nabholz for providing real-world construction expertise to architecture students enrolled in the technology sequence, a challenging and essential component of our core curriculum.”

Bill Hannah, CEO of Nabholz Construction Corp. and chairman of the Nabholz Charitable Foundation, said: “We’re very blessed to have the UA School of Architecture, which is recognized as one of the top architecture schools in the nation. So many of the architects that we work with across the region are graduates of the program, and the quality of their design work speaks to the high caliber of the school. The Nabholz Charitable Foundation is pleased to make a contribution to such a worthwhile program.”

Founded in 1949 by Robert D. Nabholz in Conway, Ark., Nabholz Construction Corp. has grown to 850 employees with divisions in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri and six subsidiary companies. With revenues of $265 million in 2003, Nabholz was ranked 139th in Engineering News-Record’s list of 400 leading U.S. contractors. Recent projects completed by Nabholz include the Acxiom River Market in Little Rock and the Northwest Quadrant Residential Community on the UA campus in Fayetteville. Robert Nabholz established the Nabholz Charitable Foundation in 1987 to provide funding to community and charitable organizations.

The School of Architecture has benefited from a strong association with Nabholz Construction for many years. Hannah served on the school’s advisory board from 1995 to 2001 and recently joined the Dean’s Circle, which provides guidance, advice and financial support to the school. Stan Hobbs, Nabholz’ business development officer, has served on the advisory board since 2001.

The Nabholz gift is considered part of the University’s Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. It will be counted toward the $300 Million Challenge. This campaign-within-a-campaign aims to raise $300 million for academic purposes to match the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation’s $300 million gift. With seven months left until the end of the Campaign, the Challenge total stands at $228.4 million, and the overall Campaign total stands at $862 million. The School of Architecture has raised $17 million against its Campaign for the Twenty-First Century goal to raise $10 million in support of academic initiatives including student scholarships and awards, faculty research and lecture programs.