$10 million from Walton Family Foundation to help build Dillard Hall - Talk Business & Politics
Mandy and Bill Dillard II Hall at North Harmon Avenue and West Fairview Street is expected to accommodate the growth of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. TheSam M. Walton College of Businessat the. . .
Mandy and Bill Dillard II Hall at North Harmon Avenue and West Fairview Street is expected to accommodate the growth of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. TheSam M. Walton College of Businessat the University of Arkansas said Tuesday (July 28) that it has received a $10 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation to support the construction of the approximately 100,000-square-foot Mandy and Bill Dillard II Hall. “This grant will help ensure that generations of University of Arkansas business students learn, collaborate and prepare for meaningful careers in spaces that match the world-class education and opportunities Walton College provides,” UA Chancellor Charles Robinson said. The Walton Collegepreviously announceda $10 million gift from the Dillard family to support a $40 million campaign to build the academic building at North Harmon Avenue and West Fairview Street, adjacent to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development and across from Harmon Avenue Parking Garage. On May 21, the UA Board of Trustees approved naming the building in honor of the Dillard family. A groundbreaking is expected in late April, and the UA has raised $28 million toward the $40 million goal. The building is expected to accommodate the growth of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the largest college at the UA. More than 10,300 students enrolled in the Walton College this past academic year, an increase of over 60% from 2019. Total fall enrollment at the UA was 34,175 in 2025, up 6. 3% from 32,140 in 2023. According to a news release, the new building will bring most Walton College classes together with its business building, Willard J. Walker Hall, and the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development, creating a more connected academic environment for students while freeing up classroom space elsewhere on campus. The building will include classrooms, study areas, collaboration spaces and the McMillon Innovation Studio. The building will also add hundreds of seats dedicated to studying, teamwork and informal collaboration. “This academic facility will help us meet the needs of a rapidly growing student population while creating new opportunities for learning, collaboration and engagement,” said Brent Williams, dean of the Walton College. “Most importantly, it will help us prepare the next generation of business leaders for Arkansas and beyond. ”Related