Long-time University of Central Arkansas supporters Rush F. Harding, III and his wife, Linda, presented President Lu Hardin with the largest single gift in the university?s history on Thursday.
An announcement of the $1.25 million gift was made during a noon luncheon at The Little Rock Club before family members and Arkansas educators who have impacted the Harding family.
Rush said, ?We invited some of my former teachers from my hometown of Clarendon and educators from Pulaski Academy, where our kids attended, and educators from UCA, because these are the people who made an impact on my family. Our teachers invested in us as students and now we want to honor them with this gift.?
Rush said he and his wife decided to direct their gift to UCA not only because the institution is their alma mater, but also because the university?s values matched their own. ?UCA has had a tremendous impact on me and my family. When Linda and I decided to make this gift, we wanted to find an institution that mirrored our own values in giving the state?s youth a good education and a bright future. We believe UCA does that,? he said.
President Hardin said he is honored by the continued support of the Harding family. ?Rush and Linda Harding are two of the most generous people in Arkansas. Rush Harding has a long history of service and commitment to UCA. This is an extraordinary gift that will benefit the education of UCA students.?
The university?s previous largest single gift of $1.2 million was made last spring by the estate of the late Beulah Mann, an alumna of the university. The Mann gift was directed toward scholarships. The Harding?s gift will be divided among several areas.
A portion of the Harding?s gift will be directed to the Holloway/Hicks Endowed Scholarship Fund, which the Hardings established in 2002. The scholarship is named in honor of Helen Holloway, a UCA alumna who taught history at Clarendon High School, and former UCA trustee Rickey Hicks. The scholarship is awarded annually to a deserving African-American student at UCA.
Part of the gift will be used to create Harding Plaza in front of Irby Hall on campus. The focal point of the plaza will be a fountain.
A share of the gift will be used for athletic purposes. Rush was a member of the UCA men?s basketball team.
A portion of the gift will also be designated as unrestricted funds for the UCA Foundation. These funds will be used to assist the Foundation and Development Office with future cultivation efforts.
Kelley Erstine, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Development, said he was pleased that the Hardings recognize the importance of making unrestricted funds available to the Foundation. ?The Harding?s generosity will be the catalyst for a future major fundraising effort,? he said.
