University’s Graduate Business Building Officially Opens Doors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Graduate education at the University of Arkansas made a giant step forward on Nov. 2 with the dedication of Willard J. Walker Hall - a 77,000 square foot, five-story facility built by the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

The new building is named after Willard J. Walker in honor of his success in retail management and his contribution to the creation and development of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. In 2003, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation pledged a lead gift of $8 million toward the construction of the building, which was completed in the summer of 2007.

“We are deeply grateful to the Walker family for their vision and leadership in this wonderful building,” said Dan Worrell, dean of the Walton College.” Willard J. Walker Hall will open doors for great educational experiences and far-reaching opportunities for our students. As the flagship business school in the state of Arkansas, we feel the most important product of this wonderful building is the next generation of business leaders - as well as generations to come.

“More students are coming back for graduate business education. Graduate degrees give our students a competitive edge in the global marketplace and contribute to building a highly educated workforce for Arkansas. Walker Hall will help accommodate our anticipated growth in both graduate and undergraduate students.”

“I’m delighted that this day has arrived and we are able to dedicate another world-class facility constructed on the University of Arkansas campus,” said Chancellor John A. White. “When the Walker family made the lead gift toward the Willard J. Walker Hall Graduate Business Building, we knew that their leadership would help construct a much-needed academic facility that would aid the institution for years to come. The results have exceeded all our expectations. Again, I’d like to thank the Walker family, and all the other benefactors who made this tribute to Willard Walker a reality.”

The $22 million building, located at 191 North Harmon Avenue, houses the Graduate School of Business, Career Development Center, Global Financial Markets Trading Center, Center for Retailing Excellence, Center for Business and Economic Research, and Supply Chain Management Research Center. Additional spaces complement other outreach units located in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development.

“Walker Hall features the most advanced classroom and business technology, the kind used in the nation’s largest organizations as well as in other top business schools,” said Worrell. “Our trading center, where faculty and students manage almost $12 million in real money, is one of a very few like it in the country. We are also very grateful to other friends and alumni for helping us create such outstanding educational experiences for our students.”

Named spaces in Walker Hall include the Wal-Mart Executive Boardroom (Wal-Mart Foundation, Inc.); George W. Edwards, Jr. Career Center Suite (George and Charlene Edwards); Walter B. Cole Café (Byron & Carol Eiseman); First Security Auditorium (First Security Bank); Edward M. Penick, Sr. and Evelyn W. Penick Trading Studio (Penick Family); Larry Crain Family Trading Studio (Larry and Janett Crain); Kenny and Susan Landgraf Business Strategy Meeting Room; Gregory W. and Hannah F. Lee Undergraduate Classroom; Mark and Dayna Sutton Undergraduate Classroom; AT&T Graduate Student Case Study Classroom; MAcc Program Meeting Room (Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable and Educational Trust); Linda Sue Shollmier Plaza (Ken Shollmier); H.L. Hembree III Room, and Sunthorn Arunanondchai Room.

Dean Emeritus Doyle Z. Williams participated in the dedication. Williams helped conceive and lead the planning for the building and was part of a team of faculty, staff, students and University of Arkansas facilities management representatives who collaborated on the design of the building.

“I am pleased to say that we have delivered on the promise of the building’s vision to facilitate the creation of business knowledge and serve as a connecting point among faculty, students and the business world,” said Walker Hall project director David Hyatt, assistant dean for finance and administration. “A lot of people had a voice in the building, and these parameters guided the architects and builders in creating its spaces.”

Walker Hall architects included Allison Architects Inc., Little Rock, Ark., as the architect of record in association and Machado and Silvetti Associates Inc. of Boston, Mass., as the design architect. The contractor was CDI Contractors LLC. Richard Burck Associates of Somerville, Mass., was the prime landscape architect. The design team also included the Baker Design Group in Boston, specialists in the design of learning environments and classroom technology; Engineering Consultants, structural engineers; The Batson Firm, mechanical, electrical, plumbing; EB Landworks, civil engineers and landscape; and Grubbs, Hoskyn, Barton & Wyatt, geotechnical.

The Walker Hall architects incorporated many features to support green building practices. Placed on a restored landscape, the building design addressed water consumption, recycling, regional and recycled building materials, access to public transportation, thermal and motion-sensitive lighting controls, and natural light.

Linda Sue Shollmier Plaza connects the Business Building, Reynolds Center, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Center for Academic Excellence and Walker Hall. Hyatt said: “With the plaza and Walker Hall’s Student Forum and Walter B. Cole Café, we’ve provided areas for students to gather and network in a relaxed space that supports the exchange of ideas. The forum is used for town hall meetings, panel discussions, career fairs, industry forums, roundtable discussions, and study groups.”

Willard Walker was the first manager of Sam Walton’s Five and Dime on the Fayetteville Square. He retired from Wal-Mart in 1972. He was active in the Northwest Arkansas community over the years holding leadership positions in a number of civic and professional organizations, including the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, the Springdale Public Library and the Salvation Army. His wife Pat has been honored for her philanthropic work by organizations across the state and recognized as one of Arkansas’ most distinguished women. The Springdale High School Performing Arts Center was named for her in 1996. In addition to the $8 million gift for Walker Hall, the Walker Family Foundation donated $3 million in April 2003 toward the construction of a new student health center, which the University of Arkansas named the Pat Walker Health Center.

Since its founding on the University of Arkansas campus in 1926, the Walton College has graduated almost 26,000 alumni. Approximately 175 faculty and staff members serve more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students. The college offers two different undergraduate degrees - one with 16 different concentrations. The Graduate School of Business offers the MBA and other master’s degrees in three disciplines, an executive MBA in China, and doctoral degrees in six disciplines. U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges 2008” ranked the Walton College among the top 24 public undergraduate business schools. For more information about Walton College and photographs of Walker Hall, go to: waltoncollege.uark.edu