150 Celebration
Celebrating 150 years of dedication to Arkansas and determination to build a better world. It’s been our calling since 1871.
Portraits of Progress
September 9, 2022
Silas Hunt Legacy Celebration
Home on the Hill
From Senior Walk, where the names of more than 200,000 graduates span miles of campus sidewalks, to our Wild Band of Razorbacks monument, the Hog Call, and the legacy of love tied to Spoofer’s Stone, the U of A has a rich history of traditions that spans 150 years.
Then and Now
The university has grown since the Arkansas State Legislature established the U of A as the state’s first public institute of higher education in 1871. From the first graduating class of nine men and women in 1876 to today’s campus of more than 27,500 students, the U of A continues to change lives and build a better world through education, research, outreach and entrepreneurship.
For more historical images, check out our timeline!
Determined
Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the University of Arkansas has been steadfast in both its dedication to Arkansas and impact on the world.
in the nation for supply chain management
in scholarship awards
in the nation for female inventors
of public universities for research activity
Progress
The Portraits of Progress website features vignettes on important figures who have helped make the U of A more diverse, equitable and inclusive. New stories will be added throughout the sesquicentennial year.
Portraits of Progress
Drawn to the U of A by destiny and curiosity, Moon-Sook Park has helped elevate the voices of diverse women by establishing the SHE Festival.
Determined
We are determined to build a better world through research and innovation.
$2.2 Billion Economic Impact
Fueling Arkansas’ economy through jobs, commercialization and more.
150th Spirit is Growing
A fourth-generation Arkansas farm family is showing its sesquicentennial spirit with a 150th-inspired crop design. Nicely done Petter Farms! David and Monica Petter are both graduates of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A. And hats off to Precision Mazes for the work of art in a soybean field north of Stuttgart.
A-MAZE-ING
Bob and Pat Schaefers, U of A grads who have been farming for 50 years, opened their first corn maze 16 years ago and have operated a maze every fall since, with the exception of the pandemic year of 2020. The 2021 design – a portion of the University of Arkansas sesquicentennial logo – is special for the Schaefers, who met on campus in the 1960s while Bob completed a master’s degree in agriculture and Pat earned a bachelor’s in home economics from what is now known as the Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences.
If This Walk Could Talk
A new documentary about the University of Arkansas by Larry Foley, journalism professor and chair of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, is in production and will be released in Feb. 10, 2022 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first day of classes on the Hill. If This Walk Could Talk tells the story of the U of A, from personal reflections through time, by those whose names are etched in stone.
Sesquicentennial News
Ambassador Sign Up
Become a Social Hog and join our band of social media ambassadors sharing the news and celebrating the U of A online.
Sign Up Today!150th Volunteer Opportunities
Join the fun as a volunteer and sign up on Give Pulse today!
General inquiries: 150@uark.edu
Sesquicentennial Planning Committee