New Boyer Fellows Selected for University of Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brinkley Cook-Campbell, son of Ronnie Campbell and Judy Cook-Campbell of Mount Judea, Ark., and Joseph Rossetti, the son of Manuel and Amy Rossetti of Fayetteville, have been selected as Boyer Fellows in the Sam M. Walton College at the University of Arkansas.

In 1999, alumni Tommy and Sylvia Boyer established the Boyer Fellowship to encourage outstanding students to pursue an education in the Walton College. The fellowship is designed to encourage and attract outstanding Arkansas students who want to study business at the university.

To become a Boyer Fellow, a student must demonstrate financial need and the potential to be a leader. The gift commitment provides the student with $12,500 a year for tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, travel and special equipment.

At the time they made the gift for the fellowships, the Boyers said, “We’ve been very interested in helping young people, particularly those who have financial barriers in getting a quality education.”

Cook-Campbell graduated with slightly above a 4.0 GPA from Mount Judea High School in May 2008. He was president of the Future Business Leaders of America and won its district economics competition to compete at the nationals. He was also team captain of the basketball team and track team and vice president of Future Farmers of America. Cook-Campbell currently has a 3.9 GPA and is entering into his sophomore year at the University of Arkansas, where he is working toward a bachelor of science in business administration in economics. He is a member of the Walton College Honors Program and Leadership Walton.

“I absolutely love it here at the University of Arkansas,” said Cook-Campbell. “The professors are the type of teachers who make you want to soak up all the knowledge you can and with all of the programs that the Walton College offers to get you involved in a business career, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

Rossetti graduated from Fayetteville High School with a GPA of 4.09 in 2009. He has the distinction of being a National Advanced Placement Scholar. He played on the Fayetteville Quizbowl team during his junior and senior years. During his senior year, the team achieved first place at the Southside Invitational and second place in the regional Arkansas Quizbowl Association tournament. Also while in high school, Rossetti served on the Fayetteville High School Knowledge Master team, during which time the team received two invitations to attend the international Knowledge Master competition, after placing first in the state each year. He was also a member of the Science Club and the Philosophy Club.

The program also supports two other Boyer fellows studying in the Walton College, including Sarah Wells, Arkadelphia, and Robert Ivers of Texarkana, Ark. Previous Boyers Fellows include Tommy Vo of Fort Smith; Adrienne Jung of Van Buren; Brandy Wells of West Fork; Chenin Vadalma of Hot Springs; Kimberly Wilkes of Fort Smith; Amanda Wyatt of Fort Smith; and Sarah Wells of Arkadelphia.

The Boyers, who split time between Amarillo, Texas, and Fayetteville, have been long-time supporters of the University of Arkansas. Tommy Boyer, B.S.B.A. ’64, is chief executive officer of Micro Images in Amarillo. He served as chair of the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Committee, chair of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame board and the college’s 2008 commencement speaker. Boyer was presiding co-chair of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century from July 1, 2000, until June 30, 2002.

Sylvia Boyer, B.S.E ’63, also served with her husband on the Campaign Steering Committee and was vice chair of the committee’s College/School/Unit and Regional Subcommittee. In the past, the Boyers had also established seven endowed scholarships across the campus. For instance, in 1989, Sylvia Boyer established the Thomas E. Boyer Scholarship in the Walton College as a 25^th wedding anniversary gift to her husband. He reciprocated with the Sylvia Ann Boyer Scholarship in the College of Education and Health Professions. In 1992, the University of Arkansas named the Boyers its volunteers of the year, and in 1999, the Arkansas Alumni Association honored the Boyers with the Andrew J. Lucas Distinguished Service Award.