$1 Million Gift Will Fund University Of Arkansas Plaza And Auditorium

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Imagine receiving a Christmas gift so unique that it could neither be wrapped nor fit under the tree. That’s what happened to Linda Sue Shollmier this past Christmas when her husband, Ken, announced that he would provide $1 million to the University of Arkansas to support and name two physical spaces on campus, including a plaza named for her.

The Linda Sue Shollmier Plaza in the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Ken Shollmier Lecture Hall in the School of Architecture will be named in honor of the couple later this year.

UA Chancellor John A. White said, "Creating new, and improving existing, academic facilities is a key part of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. We are grateful to Ken and Linda Sue for this gift, which will enable us to sustain and supplement two important physical areas of our campus and reflects the wide array of interests the Shollmiers have in the University of Arkansas."

The School of Architecture auditorium is the only lecture hall in Vol Walker Hall. It is a heavily used room, currently being used for classes, lectures and a variety of other purposes. The Shollmiers’ gift will be used to help fund necessary technological and physical upgrades.

The plaza will be constructed in a future addition to the Walton College campus and be an outdoor gathering space for students and faculty.

Ken is a 1963 graduate of the Walton College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has been active in the heating, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) industry in Louisiana and founded Shollmier Distributing Inc. in 1989 as a distributor of HVAC products. The company went on to become the 40^th largest privately owned company in Louisiana in 2000. He is CEO and president of Shollmier Investments Inc. (SII) in New Orleans, La., where he has been involved in a number of civic and leadership organizations including the National Democratic Leadership Council and the board of directors of Doctors Hospital.

Linda Sue Shollmier is vice president of SII Investments. She is a board member of LISA, League in Support of Animals, a grass roots organization working to prevent animal abuse and neglect. She is an auxiliary board member of Radio WRBH, a reading radio for the blind and print handicapped and a member of the Ladies Leukemia League. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The Shollmiers have previously supported the Walton College. Along with his brother Dudley, of Little Rock, they made a $250,000 gift to the Walton College to be called the Shollmier MBA Investment Fund. Students in the MBA program purchase and manage an investment portfolio in the amount of $250,000 using asset allocation techniques taught in the classroom in the area of finance.

In addition to the Investment Fund, the Shollmiers have also provided funds for "Outstanding Faculty Awards" to be given each year in the amount of at least $5,000 to deserving faculty members in all colleges of the University. Once the market value of the endowment exceeds $500,000, part of the earnings will be used to fund the awards.

G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor of University advancement, said, "Ken and Linda Sue Shollmier have long been among our most loyal and engaged supporters. Through the investment fund and their gift to create faculty awards and now through their support of campus facilities, they are helping students gain real-world investment experience and providing valuable incentive and award to faculty for a job well done. We sincerely appreciate their generosity and interest in the University of Arkansas."

In 2001, Ken and Linda Sue Shollmier were honored as Towers of Old Main, a cumulative giving society that recognizes lifetime giving that reaches or exceeds $100,000 to the University of Arkansas.

Ken Shollmier said, "What a fantastic opportunity to honor my wife, Linda Sue, and support the U of A at the same times. Linda Sue certainly deserves it and so does the U of A. Both have been a very important part of my life."

Linda Sue Shollmier said, "I have never been so surprised and overwhelmed by the Christmas gift my husband gave me. It was something that really brought tears of happiness. Imagine, when our grandchildren go to the University of Arkansas and see the Linda Sue Shollmier plaza named after their 'Ole Grandmother.’ What a gift that will last forever."

The Shollmiers’ gift is part of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. Started in 1998, the Campaign is a seven-year effort to raise $900 million in private gift support by June 30, 2005. Campaign funds are being used to help the University achieve its vision for the twenty-first century. Campaign funds are being raised for six critical areas of need: endowed faculty positions and scholarship funds, academic programs, University Libraries, new and enhanced academic facilities and equipment and annual giving.

As of May 31, 2002, the Campaign had raised $618 million in gifts and pledges against a $900 million goal. Of that goal, $300 million is being raised for The $300 Million Challenge, in response to the Walton family’s condition that the University of Arkansas match their recent $300 million gift by the Campaign’s end on June 30, 2005.

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