For more than two decades, each year a new group of outstanding rising faculty members are selected to become the latest class of Connor Faculty Fellows in the University of Arkansas’ Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
However, being named a Connor Fellow means more than just recognition or financial support. It’s like being tapped to join a society of the university’s top arts and sciences scholars at a time in an academic’s career when such a boost is most impactful and needed.
And the young academics who receive the Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowships are then primed to further their work and career development to reach the next level of excellence.
Robert C. and Sandra Connor established the fellowship in 2004, and since its inception, the resulting endowment has enabled Fulbright College to name 280 fellows and counting.
Connor Fellow recipients have won major music education awards, discovered new dinosaur species, made human evolution breakthroughs, studied creative decision-making in the military, and
worked to understand and prevent terrorism. Past fellows have also created internationally renowned works of art, participated in the U.S. International Fulbright Exchange Program, and built the U of A’s quantum foundry. Former Connor Fellows are also leading across the university, directing college departments, and running programs ranging from Middle East Studies to Medical Humanities, to the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society, and more.
*This post is condensed from a longer article by Andra Liwag published in the fall 2025 issue of Arkansas Magazine. Liwag is the development writer the University of Arkansas Fulbright School of Arts and Sciences.
