The foundation’s $1 million gift will fund classroom space in the Pat Walker Health Center and a suicide prevention program.
The Walker Foundation is supporting students on the University of Arkansas campus with a $1 million gift toward the Pat Walker Health Center and the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services in the Division of Student Affairs. The foundation’s gift counts toward Campaign Arkansas, the university’s $1.25 billion capital campaign to advance academic opportunity at the U of A.
“The health and wellness of our students remains a top priority for the university, and the Walker Foundation’s gift will be an important step in these efforts,” said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. “The Pat Walker Health Center has proven to be a vital component of our campus. It’s not only a space that provides physical assistance when our students need it the most but also the programs and services that are so vital to our students’ well-being.”
The Pat Walker Health Center facility will benefit from $500,000 of the gift, and the funding will be used to support the construction of classrooms within a recent addition to the center. The classrooms will be named in recognition of the Walker Family.
Mary Alice Serafini, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of the Pat Walker Health Center, said, “The Walker Family Classrooms expand the educational impact of the Pat Walker Health Center on the University of Arkansas community. This suite of classrooms provides a center for wellness education that strengthens our students, faculty and staff. With the ability to hold a small class or a large meeting, the campus well-being is enriched and celebrated. We are grateful to the Walker family for their generosity and support of positive educational impacts on our community.”
Another $500,000 will be used to create an endowed fund to support Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) in the Division of Student Affairs. The Walker Foundation Suicide Prevention Program will provide resources for mental health wellbeing and suicide prevention while improving access and identifying and assisting students who may be at risk for suicide. The fund will also be used to provide education and holistic mental health services as a preventative measure.
Josette Cline, who works with CAPS in the Pat Walker Health Center, said, “The generous gift from the Walker Foundation to Counseling and Psychological Services at the Pat Walker Health Center will establish the Walker Foundation Suicide Prevention Program. Suicide is a public health, as well as a mental health, issue, and the key to reducing the rates of suicide is enhancing prevention efforts across our campus community. The generous support from the Walker Family Foundation allows us to do just that – greatly expand suicide prevention efforts to identify and assist those who are most in need of our services.”
Created in 1986, the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation, Inc. supports charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational endeavors in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. On the University of Arkansas campus, the foundation has supported the Pat Walker Health Center, Willard J. Walker Hall, the Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion and Walker Family Training Center, and the Willard and Pat Walker Entry to Razorback Stadium. It has also established the Pat Walker Endowed Scholarship Fund, the Pat Walker Honors College Fellowship and the Pat Walker Lady Razorbacks Endowed Scholarship in Gymnastics. In 2009, the foundation contributed $1 million to the Access Arkansas scholarship program, which provided need-based scholarships, and increased their contribution again in 2011.