Advance Arkansas Initiative Builds Momentum With East Endowment

Photo by Russell Cothren

A gift from alumni Bob and Cynthia East will help more students from Arkansas attend the U of A.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Bob and Cynthia East of Little Rock are helping more Arkansas students have the financial assistance they need to attend the University of Arkansas, thanks to a new scholarship.

The Robert and Cynthia East Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship is being created with a $50,000 endowment, and additional gifts will be made by the couple to allow the scholarship to be awarded sooner. Their gift counts toward Campaign Arkansas, the university’s $1.25 billion capital campaign to advance academic opportunity at the U of A.

The Easts are originally from Little Rock and each holds a degree from the U of A. Bob East earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and Cynthia East earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Bob East founded his construction business, Robert East Company, at the age of 25. A few years later, his lifelong friend, Tom Harding, joined him to form East-Harding Construction. Cynthia East founded Cynthia East Fabrics Inc. after spending five years in advertising. Her business specializes in decorative fabric for upholstery and drapery.

The Easts both had great experiences at the University of Arkansas and recognize the importance of education, as well as the barriers that students sometimes face in pursuing their degrees.

“We believe in education,” Bob East said. “It’s the key to whether people make it in this world. The University of Arkansas is an excellent choice for students. It also offers a great value in the state when college – as a whole – has become so expensive. Loans are a burden on so many students, and we knew this scholarship would help someone who needed it.”

“We love this state so much,” Cynthia East continued. “It’s home, and it’s important to keep students in our state. We’re very excited about this scholarship, and it’s very important to us.”

The Robert and Cynthia East Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship will support new, returning and transfer students from Arkansas who exhibit financial need, records of academic success and a strong desire to complete their degree at the U of A. Preference will be given to students from the Walton College. The spending account earnings generated by the scholarship endowment will be matched by the university, doubling the impact of the Easts’ contribution.

“I’ve enjoyed being involved with the Walton College again and appreciate the practical applications of business that Dean Waller and the Walton College faculty share with their students,” Bob East said. “We’re happy to give back to the university’s students, because we know they will make a direct impact on the world.”

“I thank the Easts for this gift of an Advance Arkansas scholarship and for their vision of building a better business future for students and for Arkansas,” said Matt Waller, Walton College dean and holder of the Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair. “Their support for Walton College students is a great example to all of Arkansas of the commitments made by our alumni and others to help students get a great education and help businesses to continue to thrive and grow in our state.”

Bob East received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Walton College in 2019 and is a member of the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board. He and his wife are members of the Chancellor’s Society at the U of A and are counted as Thoroughreds for their nine years of consecutive giving to the university. They are also both members of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

In addition to their scholarship at the U of A, the Easts have supported a scholarship for nursing students in memory of Cynthia’s mother, Ruth Agar, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

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% of colleges and 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.