Harrington Makes $6 Million Commitment to Student Success Center

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U of A alumna Cordia Harrington

Cordia Harrington, a U of A alumna and CEO of Crown Bakeries, is making a $6 million commitment to support the new Student Success Center.

This commitment, in addition to future gifts from Harrington, will grow the Student Success Center’s initiatives, offering a comprehensive approach to student-focused programming and resources. With this commitment, the center will be renamed The CORD (Create Opportunities, Reach Dreams) Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence in honor of Harrington.

“It is a thrill and privilege to have my name on the Student Success Center,” Harrington said. “As a first in my family to attend and graduate college, and as a study abroad recipient (Japan), my University of Arkansas experience was life changing! This endowment is to pay it forward for the amazing blessings I received at the U of A. I am very grateful.”

"We are grateful to Cordia Harrington for her support of student success,” said Charles Robinson, interim chancellor. “Thanks to her generosity, the university will be able to do even more to help our students make the most of every opportunity, both here on campus and after graduation. Cordia is a leader in business and an inspiration. She’s someone who fundamentally understands that reaching the highest goals requires a plan and preparation, followed by diligent, hard work. This same ethic drives student success efforts at the University of Arkansas, and we are excited to partner with Cordia in this way.”

Harrington, a 1976 graduate of the College of Agriculture — now the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences — was the first in her family to earn a bachelor's degree. She went on to become recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the most successful self-made women in America, NBJ CEO of the Year, and is the first female international president of the Chief Executives Organization (CEO) as well as the Chair of the American Bakers Association, Washington, D.C.

In addition to excelling in business and the baking industry, Harrington has been dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams. With a focus on impacting lives as a key goal of her company, it is also a tenet she embodies through her relationships and philanthropic work. The Cordia Harrington ‘The Bun Lady’ International Experience Endowed Scholarship has provided financial support to over 50 students studying abroad, Chi Omega Leadership scholarships and Belmont University BunLady Scholarships.

Harrington was a member of the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee and named the 2016 Johnson Fellow by the Arkansas Alumni Association. In 2020, Harrington received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and was the keynote commencement speaker during the All-University Commencement ceremony. Cordia resides in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, Tom, five children and 11 grandchildren.

“We are delighted to have Cordia Harrington as the namesake of the University of Arkansas’s new Student Success Center,” said Trevor Francis, associate vice provost and director of student success. “Her own success story as well as her commitment to helping others is truly inspiring. Over and above her support for the building project, she is directly empowering students by endowing some of our most influential and innovative academic success programs. We couldn’t be more honored to have the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence in the historic heart of campus and to be the recipient of this transformational gift.”

Dedication of The CORD will be held on Friday, April 8, at 4 p.m. and is open to the public.

Learn more about student programs and resources available at the Student Success Center website.

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 U of A 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.