UALR Vice Chancellor Charles Donaldson, one of the university’s most influential administrators in the life of UALR students, will be honored March 15 at the annual Taste of Argentina Alumni Association fundraiser.

The event, set for 6 p.m., will recognize Dr. Donaldson’s leadership and dedication to the recruitment, retention, and success of UALR students. This year’s event will be held in the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center. It will feature South American cuisine typically found in Argentina. The menu will be prepared by Sodexo’s Chef Sebastian, and beverages will be provided by Glazer’s Distributors of Arkansas. Tickets are $50. Purchase tickets online or by contacting Christian O’Neal at 501-683-7208.

“It will be a fun and festive evening as we celebrate a man who has done so much for us as students and alumni,” O’Neal said.

Donaldson joined UALR in 1973 as a counselor for the Student Special Services program, the beginning of a 40-year career dedicated to student success. From director of Career Planning and Placement and associate vice chancellor for Educational and Student Services, to dean of University College and his present position, Donaldson and his work in student programs and services have served as models for many campuses across the nation.

Donaldson’s implementation of Cooperative Education and the TRIO Program, which includes Student Special Services, Upward Bound, the Educational Opportunity Center, and Talent Search, opened up the world of higher education for young people who became the first in their families to graduate from college. The programs also resulted in national and international recognition for the First-Year Experience course as well as federal funding that exceeds $16.5 million.

“Charles Donaldson’s commitment to higher education is readily evident in the countless students, faculty, staff, and peers he mentors,” said Dr. Jan Austin, who with her husband Paul are chairs of the Taste of Argentina event. “He expects excellence, and challenges others to do the same.”

“If student success and life on campus have come to be understood as the responsibility of everyone within our educational community, then I believe Charles Donaldson has done a great deal to lead us to that understanding,” said Austin.

Donaldson’s leadership in student services has resulted in $70 million in building projects expanding the campus community for UALR students. The projects include the expansion of the Donaghey Student Center and the UALR Welcome Center for student recruitment.

Donaldson led student housing from its beginning, with a 300-bed single residence hall, to four unique facilities that provide living-learning opportunities for nearly 1,000 students. He also led the Trojan Grill project, a late-night dining option for students that will open fall 2012.

This summer, Donaldson’s long-lived vision of a new Student Services building will open, providing students a central spot where they can apply, register, seek financial aid, and receive academic counseling. Connected to the Donaghey Student Center by a skybridge, the facility illustrates Donaldson’s vision to house student services and related administrative units under one roof to provide students ease of access to services.

The UALR Student Government Association recognized Donaldson’s legacy as a student services administrator several years ago when the association established the Charles W. Donaldson Administrator of the Year Award.

The award, presented annually to a campus administrator recognized by students, was conceived as a way to honor those administrators who exemplified the service to students and commitment to their success that the association found in Donaldson.

Donaldson has a B.A. degree in psychology from Philander Smith College, a master of education degree in counseling from Arkansas State Teachers College – now University of Central Arkansas – and a doctorate of education in counseling from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He also completed the prestigious Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Donaldson is an associate professor of higher education. He also serves on several community boards and the United Methodist Church.