The future of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is near to Mary Moore’s heart.

“I am hard of hearing, so I have always felt that the university’s audiology and speech pathology department’s Speech and Hearing Clinic offers a broader spectrum of services available than other places,” Moore said.

Moore has been a client of the clinic, which recommends her hearing aides and provides other services, for years. She also serves on the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology Development Council.

So when the opportunity arose to meet UALR’s new chancellor, Dr. Andrew Rogerson, she didn’t hesitate to join 30 other members of the university’s Heritage Society to have “Coffee with the Chancellor” Sept. 20 at the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center.

The event also recognized new members who joined the Heritage Society in the past year, including Elaine Eubank and Alfred Williams, Bill Ballard, and Loris Fullerton.

People can become a member of the Heritage Society by naming UALR in a will or trust, by designating the university as a life insurance or retirement plan beneficiary, or by creating some other type of planned gift. Only a statement of intent is required to participate in the Heritage Society.

The society, formed in the 1990s, has had about 170 members through the years, who together contributed about $7 million to enrich the lives of future students and help the community. Almost $14 million more is planned, according to Jan Davis, director of gift planning.

“Thank you for being a part of our Heritage Society,” Davis said told those who gathered for the event. “This is a very special group of people, and we are thankful for your support. We are thrilled we can celebrate you today and introduce you to our new chancellor.”

The event represented the first chance for many Heritage Society members to meet Rogerson and his wife, Janessa. Rogerson answered questions on topics that ranged from UALR’s recent groundbreaking at the site of the future eStem Public Charter Schools high school on campus to the possibility of reducing the number of programs at UALR, to enhanced opportunities for the university to partner with nonprofit organizations in central Arkansas.

“One of the reasons Janessa and I chose this university is because this is the only campus that spent half of the interview with the community and its leaders,” Rogerson said. “This showed a real willingness to make this university a part of the community. It’s my job, with anyone who wants to help in this room, to make this university a place where people want to be.”

After spending her career working at several nonprofit organizations in central Arkansas, Moore, now a retiree, splits her time between being an Uber driver, a pet sitter, and an Airbnb host.

Moore is always on the lookout for new things to do, and she is very interested in the chancellor’s ideas on expanding educational classes for seniors and providing more one-semester “signature experience” opportunities for UALR students.

“We need to get our students involved in the community, learning about services offered in the community,” Moore said. “We need to do a lot of what the chancellor recommended. I am big on volunteerism, and I think every student should get involved in some degree and learn about civic organizations.”

Another Heritage Society member, Dr. C. Earl Ramsey, director emeritus of the Donaghey Scholars Program who worked at the university for more than 40 years, was excited to meet a new chancellor with such extensive academic experience.

“This event was terrific,” Ramsey said. “I think Dr. Rogerson has a chance to be one of our best chancellors ever. He is a real academic as well as being an administrator. He has a great breadth of experience and has published 130 academic articles.”

University staff members want to see the ranks of the Heritage Society grow. Each gift is appreciated regardless of size, said Davis, who encourages people to let the university know when they include UALR in their estate plans.

For more information about how to become a member of the Heritage Society, contact Davis at 501-569-8738 or jpdavis@ualr.edu.

In the upper right photo, Chancellor Andrew Rogerson (right) talks to Dr. Mary Good (left) during the “Coffee with the Chancellor” event for UALR Heritage Society members. Photos by Danielle Hendrix.