Last year we wrote about the athletic department at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB) to illustrate the financial difficulties many HBCU athletic departments face.
In 2022, UAPB athletics was facing a budget deficit of roughly $3 million. That had the university and athletic department scrambling to come up with creative ways to fund their teams, programs and construction projects.
In the past, support from hometown heroes and alums helped UAPB expand its athletic offerings.
In 2008, Torii Hunter, a 5x MLB All-Star and 9x Gold Glove winner, donated $500,000 to his hometown university to begin construction on the Torii Hunter Baseball and Softball complex.
In 2018, the university announced that Pine Bluff-based Simmons Bank was gifting the university $2.5 million for upgrades to its football and baseball facilities. It was the largest gift in UAPB history and helped fund a new football stadium scoreboard and turf, and the baseball pavilion at the Torii Hunter Baseball and Softball Complex.
Raising money to run programs and upgrade facilities is an annual necessity for all athletics departments, and UAPB is no exception.
Yet securing donations is just one challenge facing the university. Another is the fact that in Arkansas, athletic funding for colleges and universities has to be supported by private donations and cannot come from public sources.
Athletic Director Chris Robinson understands the challenges he and his administration face, and they aren’t shying away from addressing them.
His goal is to not only continue facility expansion but to also become self-sustaining.
“To get to that point where our budget is, our school steps in and gives revenue from the school sent down to supplement the athletic department to help us work in a collaborative fashion,” said Robinson. “What I’m saying is, we want to be self-sustaining to where we become more of a money-producing entity to where we can play big games and be self-sustaining to send money to the other side other than the university sustaining us.”
In 2022, UAPB athletics generated $5,677,780 in revenue with expenditures of $7,254,015, so the shortfall was $1,576,235. Add in the $1,138,234 that the university gives to athletics and the deficit rises to $2,714,469.
So as Robinson and his staff were trying to make the department independently profitable, they were pleasantly surprised when alums Bill and Sharri Jones decided to step up and help their alma matter.
This week, the couple donated $110,000 to UAPB athletics, with $100,000 going towards the renovation of the Golden Lions football team locker room and $10,000 dedicated to the golf program.
“This wonderful and generous gift provided to UAPB Athletics will greatly enhance the student-athlete experience, and we’re grateful for, the Jones’ extraordinary generosity,” said UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander. “Bill Jones and Sharri Jones have a deep-rooted connection with the university, and this latest gift, along with their previous generous donations, continue to contribute to the university’s success and growth.”
This type of transformational gift demonstrates the impact the university had on the couple and how alumni support can continue the growth of UAPB athletics.
“UAPB is truly a special institution, and we’ve seen the incredible impact it has had on students’ lives,” said Bill Jones. “We hope to provide current and future UAPB student-athletes with an environment that continues to contribute to their success with the renovation of the football team’s locker room, and support of the golf program.”
“UAPB has been instrumental in shaping both my life and career, and it is our honor and pleasure to give back to my beloved alma mater to positively impact the lives of its students-athletes,” said Sharri Jones.
“We believe that these enhancements for UAPB Athletics will continue to elevate the educational and athletic experience.”
With alums like the Jones family, those experiences will continue to be elevated.
