The University of Central Arkansas has been gifted $100,000 by Jimmy Batcheller and Sara Hendricks Batcheller ’02 to benefit the Steinway Initiative at UCA.
The Steinway Initiative is the university’s commitment to becoming an All-Steinway School.
The university currently has 19 All-Steinway School eligible pianos, including a Steinway A that was purchased with the Batcheller’s gift. The couple said, “Music is a great investment for individuals and for the community as a whole. We are thrilled to be able to support the music department at the University of Central Arkansas.”
An additional 26 pianos are needed for UCA to become an All-Steinway School. With a fundraising goal of $2.4 million, the university has raised more than $750,000. The Steinway Initiative, through the UCA Foundation, will secure the funds needed to purchase the additional All-Steinway School eligible pianos.
Steinway & Sons has been the benchmark by which all other pianos are measured for 150 years. Every Steinway & Sons grand and upright is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and a consummate work of art. Each Steinway piano, consisting of more than 12,000 individual parts, has its own musical character and is as unique as the individual who plays it.
For more information about the Steinway Initiative or other giving opportunities in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, contact Maegan Dyson, director of Development, at mdyson@uca.edu or 501-852-1252. Contributions can also be made at https://uca.edu/giving/