Fulbright College Gains Scholarship Endowment Thanks to Campaign Gift

Photo Submitted

Robert Jerry Burns

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas alumnus Robert Jerry Burns of Hot Springs National Park has made a planned gift to help students in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. His contribution will count as part of Campaign Arkansas, the capital campaign focused on advancing academic opportunity at the U of A.

The Robert Jerry Burns Scholarship Endowment will assist both undergraduate and graduate students in Fulbright College, where Burns earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1958.

“I really enjoyed my four years at the University of Arkansas,” Burns said. “The university was good to me. Nowadays, students need some help, so they don’t have to pay for everything by themselves through loans and grants. With a scholarship, they can get started in college without strings attached. Recipients can feel good about earning their scholarships. And giving scholarships is important for more alumni to do.”

Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College, said Burns’ gift is an especially meaningful way to give back.

“We really appreciate Jerry’s generosity and focus on student success,” Shields said. “His gift is such a wonderful way to support the college he loves while helping our students to complete their degrees and make a positive impact in the world.”   

Burns competed on the track team as a pole vaulter and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while he was a student at the U of A. After graduation, he was a teacher and coach for several years before joining Travelers Insurance Company, where he spent the majority of his business career. After nearly 30 years, he retired from the company and started his own general agency in the New Orleans area – Burns Vogel and Associates.

Burns, who grew up in Camden, is a life member of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1.25 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.