Farmers Bank Foundation Contributes $100,000 to Workforce Center at UAHT

The Farmers Bank Foundation has committed $100,000 to the University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana (UAHT) to fund the construction and development of a new Workforce Center at the Texarkana, Arkansas, campus.

The building will be called the Farmers Bank & Trust Workforce Center and is set to open for the 2023 spring semester. The new 14,754-square-foot facility will serve as a modern employment training center for students in the southwest Arkansas region and house the Arkansas High School Collegiate Academy and the Secondary Career and Technical Education Center.

“We are excited to partner with the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana to provide a state-of-the-art facility for workplace education,” said ElizabethBurns Anderson, Executive Director of the Farmers Bank Foundation. “Preparing students with hands-on employment training is the future of education and benefits local communities for years to come. We are humbled and grateful to support the efforts of UAHT. This type of project is exactly why the Farmers Bank Foundation was established.”

The contribution from Farmers Bank & Trust’s charitable nonprofit organization was approved in early September by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees, which oversees UAHT. The six-figure donation for the Workforce Center will be paid out over 10 years. The Bank announced the gift publicly Saturday evening, Oct.8, 2022, with a check presentation at the UAHT 10th Anniversary Celebration at the Texarkana, Arkansas, Convention Center.

“We are grateful for Farmers Bank &Trust’s investment in our students and community through this generous gift,” said Dr. Christine Holt, UAHT Chancellor. “These funds will be used to provide our students with state-of-the-art education and job training, which will, in turn, help them invest back into our communities in the future. Partnerships like this will help improve our communities for decades.”

“When I thought of the opportunity for naming the Texarkana Workforce Center and it being the first named building on our Texarkana campus, there was no better fit in my mind than our friends at Farmers Bank and Trust,” said Anna Powell, UAHT Executive Director of Institutional Advancement. “The Farmers Bank and Trust Organization is the real deal. They are a consistent long-term partner of The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, and I am honored to have their name on our building.”

James Bramlett, Texarkana Market President at Farmers Bank & Trust added, “This is a fantastic opportunity for the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana and Farmers Bank & Trust to work with our partnership in education for the Texarkana region. This will help us to better prepare our workforce for the future and have a long-lasting positive impact for our region.”