News

Carolyn and Doyle “Rog” Rogers, Jr. gift $100,000 to UA – Pulaski Tech’s New DEI Fund

The UA – Pulaski Tech Foundation announced today that Carolyn and Doyle “Rog” Rogers, Jr. have gifted $100,000 to launch the new CommUNITY Fund which was recently created to enhance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the college.

“We are honored by this gift from the Rogers as we work to implement innovative programs to build a diverse, inclusive and more welcoming community,” stated Shannon Boshears, vice chancellor of advancement and executive director of the UA-PTC foundation. “This gift will enable us to fund programs to bring about transformative and sustainable advancement.”

Over the next five years, the gift from the Rogers will fund annual co-curricular programming at UA-PTC’s Center for Humanities and Arts that celebrates and promotes diversity on campus and to the community.

“We are longtime supporters of higher education and are particularly interested in bettering the world through social justice initiatives. This was a perfect partnership for all of us as UA - Pulaski Tech is taking great strides in promoting social justice through education,” Doyle “Rog” Rogers, Jr. said.

UA-PTC's CommUNITY Fund is the realization of a recommendation from the Chancellor’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and will be used to facilitate equality and inclusion initiatives that promote and celebrate diversity in all areas of the UA-PTC campus community.

“We are humbled and grateful for this generous gift made by the Rogers. This important initiative aspires us to continue to educate, serve, and humanize what we do at UA-PTC. It is foundational to the vision of equality and diversity. UA-PTC is committed to affirming the uniqueness and potential of individuals and will strive to promote social justice for all persons in our campus community,” stated UA-PTC Chancellor Margaret Ellibee.

The CommUNITY fund will support UA-PTC’s Objectives of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to:

• Expand and support the diversity of the College’s stakeholder’s population, i.e. students, employees, alumni, donors and patrons.
• Close the achievement gap by broadening the availability of educational opportunities.
• Ensure the inclusion of everyone, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, or health care needs.
• Articulate the right to be recognized as a valuable contributor and participant in our campus community.
• Initiatives supported by this fund can include but are not limited to:
  • Inclusive and diverse academic programming;
  • Innovative curriculum;
  • Co-curricular programming that celebrates and promotes diversity on campus and to the community;
  • Programs that will impact students and increase recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff;
  • Funding of DEI positions or trainings;
  • Provide scholarships to students based on factors that promote diversity, including financial need, merit, and socio-economic factors.

The CommUNITY Fund also establishes student scholarships that will be awarded to students from economically or environmentally disadvantaged or “at-risk” backgrounds. This also includes eligible students from the UA-PTC 3D Culinary Program that offers post-high school students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) post-secondary education and preparation for employment through its hospitality certificate programs that develop skills in the areas of culinary arts and baking.

The outcomes of this new fund will impact students and increase recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff that will amplify and enhance already existing efforts in these areas.

For more information on this fund and other initiatives at the UA-PTC Foundation, please visit www.uaptc.edu/foundation.

About the University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College Foundation, Inc.

The UA-PTC Foundation Inc. is the official fundraising and private gift administrator for the college and its programs. Established as a nonprofit organization for educational purposes, the Foundation seeks and accepts tax-deductible gifts and manages these funds and bequests for the benefit of the college. Diamond Chef Arkansas is UA-PTC Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the event support the college’s mission to provide access to high-quality education that promotes student learning and enables individuals to develop to their fullest potential.