Shown (left to right) are UCA President Tom Courtway, TJ Johnston, director of Corporate Relations; Charles D. Morgan; Dr. Steven Runge, executive vice president and provost; Dr. Stephen Addison, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and Dr. Emre Celebi, chair of the Department of Computer Science
The University of Central Arkansas received a $300,000 gift from Acxiom founder and former CEO, Charles D. Morgan.
“UCA has made major contributions to the business community through their graduates, and I wanted to show my appreciation and help ensure that this contribution continues,” said Morgan.
The Charles D. Morgan Endowed Chair of Computer Science Fund will be used to support and recruit faculty in the computer science and technology fields.
“We are grateful for Charles Morgan’s generous gift in support of our efforts in computer science,” said Dr. Stephen Addison, dean of College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “The support of our local partners in the IT industry is vital to the ongoing development of our programs in computer science and is mutually beneficial to our partners.”
Addison said the gift will also expand the university’s offerings in the area of computer science, as well as respond to new industry challenges. Currently, UCA students can earn a Bachelor of Science in computer science and a Master of Science in applied computing.
“We appreciate and thank Charles Morgan for his generosity, but more importantly for his belief and commitment to our computer science students and faculty. Having him associated with our computer science program is something we have always strived for, and just as he has done in so many other education endeavors, he has come forward to help us,” said UCA President Tom Courtway. “He is a visionary, an entrepreneur and someone we admire and respect, and we are very, very grateful for his gift.”
The announcement was made Wednesday at Blue Sail Coffee in Donaghey Hall.
