Fayetteville Couple’s Gift Honors Family, Supports Campaign Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas alumni Grant Ginder and Katy Nelson-Ginder of Fayetteville are establishing two scholarships that will make international education and study abroad experiences more accessible for U of A students. Their $100,000 planned gift will create two endowments to benefit the Graduate School and International Education and support Campaign Arkansas.

“These two scholarship funds will allow more University of Arkansas students to broaden their academic and cultural education through study abroad experiences,” said Kim Needy, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. “I am thankful to Grant Ginder and Katy Nelson-Ginder for their generous support of our students.”

The Talmadge and Laverne Nelson Study Abroad Scholarship will support students in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences who wish to participate in a study abroad program. Students majoring in poultry science or any concentration in the School of Human Environmental Sciences will be given preference for the scholarship, as well as students who demonstrate financial need and wish to participate in a Global Community Development Program or study abroad program with a service-learning component.

The scholarship is named after Nelson-Ginder’s parents, who both contributed years of service to the Bumpers College. It won’t be the first named after Nelson-Ginder’s father; the Talmadge S. Nelson Endowed Scholarship is also housed in the college and awarded to talented students majoring in poultry science.

Talmadge Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the university, a Master of Science from the University of Illinois and a doctorate from Cornell. He spent 26 years on the faculty at the University of Arkansas, and his work appeared in 82 refereed journals. He received the American Feed Industry Association Nutrition Research Award and is considered the research pioneer of the enzyme phytase, which releases phosphorous from vegetable protein sources and is now used extensively in poultry diets. The use of the enzyme results in cost savings to producers and less pollution to the environment.

Michael Kidd, head of the Department of Poultry Science and director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science said, “Dr. Nelson was my undergraduate adviser, and I followed his research closely over the years. I’ve grown to respect his field and consider him to be a pioneer in early phytate research. The work he did in the 1960s and 1970s is still very relevant today.”

Patsy “Laverne” Nelson holds an Educational Specialist degree in secondary education and worked for the university for more than 13 years. She served as editor for the statewide publication, Beginnings, for more than 10 years and led the research for the nationally acclaimed and Emmy-nominated documentary Sanatorium Hill, which shed light on the victims of tuberculosis who were isolated in the state sanatorium in Booneville. In 2000, Nelson received the Outstanding Staff Award in the Bumpers College, and in 2004 the Board of Trustees passed a resolution naming her a program associate emeritus of the university.

“Grant and I wanted to honor my parents’ contributions to the Bumpers College, the Division of Agriculture and the university as a whole,” Nelson-Ginder said. “I have many fond memories of their time on campus. Their legacy, coupled with our experiences as students – and now my experience as a staff member – is what inspired us to create these scholarships for future students.”

The Grant Ginder and Katy Nelson-Ginder International Excellence Fund will support students and faculty who participate in international study abroad opportunities outside the normal classroom setting. It will benefit students with financial need and faculty in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences or the Sam M. Walton College of Business who are participating in a Global Community Development Program or a study abroad program with a service-learning component.

“It is inspiring to see students applying their academic knowledge to help solve problems for communities in need,” Nelson-Ginder said. “It gives them confidence and pride in their education and helps them develop professionally and altruistically.”

“The faculty at the U of A are dedicated and spend countless hours developing meaningful experiences for the students,” Ginder said. “Katy and I are impressed with their commitment and passion to the students and university.”

Katy Nelson-Ginder is a Fayetteville native and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in communication from the university. She has worked for the U of A for more than 10 years and is currently the assistant vice chancellor for university development.

Grant Ginder is originally from Hot Springs and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the university. He was in the inaugural class for the Walton College Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics and completed it in 2016. Ginder works as a business analyst for Newell Brands and has a passion for international travel.

“In my career, I have had the opportunity to travel to several countries with faculty and students,” said Nelson-Ginder. “I have seen first-hand how study abroad experiences can be life changing for our students. When Grant and I were in school, we did not have the financial means to study abroad, so we wanted to provide this opportunity for students and faculty.

“Because of my time in higher education, I am fortunate to have a good retirement plan,” she said. “Making a planned gift from our retirement plan allowed us to make a more significant contribution than we could have with a current gift. I think many people our age forget about this option and don’t realize you can designate these funds and provide input on their use for faculty and students in the future.”

Nelson-Ginder is a lifetime member of the A Club and was on the Razorback swimming and diving team as a student. Ginder and Nelson-Ginder are both life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and are recognized as ThoroughReds for their consecutive years of giving. This spring, they will be included in the Towers of Old Main, the university’s most prestigious giving society.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the Graduate School and International Education: The Graduate School and International Education supports the strategic goals of the University of Arkansas to continue its status as a university with very high research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation for Secondary Education. The school offers programs in more than 80 fields leading to master’s and doctoral degrees. The school also facilitates intercultural and international experiences to increase global competencies for the university and assists in the development of international, interdisciplinary and graduate programs.

This story originally appeared in the University of Arkansas’ Newswire publication. Please visit news.uark.edu for more stories like this.