The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will honor Dr. Joel Anderson, chancellor emeritus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, as one of five honorees at the institution’s Chancellor’s Benefit Saturday, April 28, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. 

For the past 30 years, UAPB has recognized outstanding individuals who have made a significant contribution to advancing positive change at UAPB, in Pine Bluff/Jefferson County and surrounding communities, in the state of Arkansas and in the nation. Their contributions may have been philanthropic, civic, social, and political.

Anderson is being honored for his role in establishing UA Little Rock’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity and making diversity a defining mark of his administration. The institute is dedicated to promoting racial and ethnic justice in Arkansas through educational programs, research, and community outreach. Upon his retirement, the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees named the institute in his honor.

The other honorees include Calvin and Janetta Brooker, L.J. Randle, and the late Henry “Hank” Wilkins III.

Anderson, who retired in June 2016 following a 45-year career at UA Little Rock, volunteers as a part-time Scholar in Residence at the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, where he focuses his efforts on program development, grant writing, and community outreach programs.