A $250,000 gift from a De Queen woman will support students according to priorities set by the chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a spokeswoman said.
The Julie Brown Chancellor's Student Excellence Endowment has been established through a gift from Brown, former president of Southern LP Gas.
Chancellor Christina Drale in a statement called the gift "unique" in that it provides a broad range of student support.
"We can use it to support high impact learning experiences, improvements to the living and learning environment, and also for scholarships and emergency funds to reduce barriers to opportunity," Drale said. "With this endowment, we can truly focus on areas of greatest need and the greatest impact at any given time."
UALR did not announce the amount of Brown's gift, but university spokeswoman Angie Faller said Wednesday the gift is for $250,000.
Brown earned a bachelor's degree in history from UALR in 1993. She previously established a scholarship in memory of her grandmother, Lou Ellen Gray.
"I was lucky enough to attend UA Little Rock without financial difficulty, but I know that not every person is that lucky," Brown said in a statement released by the university. "This is an opportunity for me to pay it forward to help more students get ahead in life by completing their education."