The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $3 million gift from the Windgate Foundation earmarked for a building maintenance fund for the university’s Windgate Center of Arts and Design.
This endowment will be utilized to finance long-term capital renewal and maintenance projects for the Windgate Center.
“The generous gift by the Windgate Foundation for the creation of a building maintenance endowment for the Windgate Center could not have come at a better time,” UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale said in a statement. “The upkeep of facilities and grounds across the campus is of critical significance to the university’s capability to fulfill its mission and provide a transformational educational experience for our students.”
Opened in January 2018, the center is used for visual arts instruction, featuring classrooms and studios, as well as two galleries that show the university’s permanent art collection, traveling exhibitions and student/faculty artwork.
“The Department of Art and Design is thankful for our decades-long partnership with the Windgate Foundation, helping to educate the next generation of artists,” Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design, said. “This gift makes it possible for us to maintain our state-of-the-art facility so that we can continue to provide the highest caliber art education to our students and high-quality programs to the local community.”
Drale has prioritized establishing endowed maintenance funds for campus sustainability projects. Through the new endowment, the university aims to cover future maintenance costs, repairs and major projects, such as replacing the center’s parking lot and roof.
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