Fulbright College Celebrates Connor Family and Recipients of Namesake Fellowship

Each year, nearly two dozen outstanding, hard-working faculty members are selected as the new class of Connor Faculty Fellows at the U of A’s Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Their expertise spans the natural sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, and the funds from the Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowships are intended to help each rising academic further their career development.

However, Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College, said being named a Connor Fellow means much more than a typical faculty award.

“It’s a vote of confidence in the recipient’s abilities to reach excellence in teaching, research and service,” she said. “It’s a show of support as they find their way on their academic journeys, seek tenure and continue to blaze new trails.”

“And it’s a confirmation that these faculty members are heading in the right direction – even when the road seems bumpy – and that they will persevere,” added Sloan, who is a former recipient of the award.

Since the first Connor Faculty Fellowships recipients were named in 2005, a total of 227 assistant professors have received these awards.

Sloan, Interim Chancellor Charles Robinson and dozens of Connor Fellows recently gathered to honor the award’s namesake creators: Robert and Sandra Connor.

“We were so excited to be able to say thank you to Sandra and Bob in person for creating and supporting this fantastic award that has helped so many of our rising faculty members,” Sloan said.

In addition to meeting the Connors, fellows also signed a commemorative platter that will be presented to the Connors later this month to thank them for their ongoing support.

During the evening, Sloan talked about the expansive accomplishments of past Connor Fellow recipients.

“They have achieved so much, ranging from being named Grammy Music Educator of the Year for musical teaching brilliance, to completing mitochondrial research that has the potential to change healthcare as we know it, to discovering a new dinosaur species and having it named for them,” she said.

Recipients have also contributed new findings on Homo naledi and the evolution of humanity, studied creativity and how creative decision-making could better the military, and worked to understand and prevent terrorism.

Additionally, Connor Fellows have created internationally renowned works of visual and performing art, been selected to participate in the United States’ International Fulbright Exchange Program, and been part of the team-building the U of A’s new quantum foundry.

“Many former Connor Fellows have also gone on to become directors and program heads in the college, and to serve in top leadership roles across the college and university,” Sloan said. “These folks include the head of our School of Art, three of our current Associate Deans, the university’s Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and the university’s Vice Chancellor for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”

Sloan added that former Connor Fellows are also directing the college’s Department of Biological Sciences, African and African American Studies Program, Middle East Studies Program, Gender Studies Program, Medical Humanities Program, the Fulbright College Honors Program, the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society, and the Creative Writing and Translation Program.

“Thanks to the Connors, the endowment for the award that bears their name currently has a balance of more than $2.7 million,” Sloan said. “This means generations of emerging faculty scholars to come will also benefit from these awards, and in turn help better their respective fields, our college, our university, and the world beyond.”

“We are incredibly grateful to Sandra and Bob for creating this fellowship and fostering so much good because of it,” she added. “Thanks to them amazing things are and will continue to happen here at the U of A.”

About the Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowships: The Connors established the fellowship in 2004 to provide essential faculty development opportunities to rising academic experts in the college. Annually, a college committee selects faculty who have made excellent contributions to the college and their departments. The $5,000 award that comes with this honor is used by fellows to facilitate travel, expand research initiatives and support classroom activities. The Connors’ original gift of $1.5 million formerly allowed the college to designate up to 10 fellows each year. An additional gift has now allowed the college to expand the number of fellowships to close to a dozen each year. Since its inception, the endowment has enabled Fulbright College to recognize more than 225 Connor Fellows and counting, many of whom are now leaders in their departments, serving in administrative capacities or in prominent teaching and research positions with impressive publication records.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on the University of Arkansas campus, with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college also provides the majority of the core curriculum for all U of A students.