With recent gifts totaling $80,000, national commercial contractor Nabholz has committed to supporting education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Nabholz Charitable Foundation recently donated $50,000 to establish the Nabholz Endowed Scholarship for Art and Design. The foundation also contributed $30,000 to Nabholz’s existing endowed scholarship for construction management students at the university.

“Nabholz is very proud to support UALR, and in particular help provide financial aid to deserving students.” said Greg Williams, chief executive officer. “It is important to Little Rock and central Arkansas that UALR thrives. The business community needs UALR graduates.”

In October, the UALR Office of Alumni and Development kicked off a $3 million campaign to fund endowed scholarships for art students. The campaign stems from a commitment the university made to Windgate Charitable Foundation that it would raise scholarship funds in response to Windgate’s gift of $20.3 million for the construction of a new visual arts building. The Nabholz gift helps bring the campaign to the half million dollar mark.

The planned facility, now named the Windgate Center of Art + Design, is scheduled to open for the spring 2018 semester. Once completed, the nearly 65,000-square-foot facility will bring all the Department of Art and Design programs into one location.

Scholarship funds from the campaign will substantially enhance the 10 existing scholarships dedicated to art students at the university. The increased scholarship opportunities paired with talented and engaged faculty and the new Windgate Center of Art + Design are expected to go far in attracting top-notch art students to UALR.