Drivers in Arkansas are showing their Razorback pride with more than just car decals and window flags. Since its launch in 1994, the Hog Tags program has not only enabled drivers to display University of Arkansas pride with a red, running Razorback on their license plates, but it has provided 1,300 scholarships to students who wish to attend the University of Arkansas.
Through promotion, marketing and media efforts on behalf of the Arkansas Alumni Association, the number of Hog Tags on the road has continually grown each year. As of April 2013 more than 25,000 Hog Tags are displayed on cars and trucks, a 27 percent increase over last year.
$25 from each Hog Tag fee goes to support the Alumni Association’s merit scholars. The program has generated more than $3 million since its launch in 1994.
“The increase in the number of Hog Tags on the road is astounding,” said Graham Stewart, associate vice chancellor for alumni and executive director for the Arkansas Alumni Association. “The hard work and promotion that our scholarship coordinator, Robin January, and our alumni staff have dedicated to this program is why it is so successful. It is because of this program that we are able to offer the most qualified, creative and motivated students a chance to attend the University of Arkansas.”
Students who have benefited from the Hog Tags program continually express their gratitude to the Alumni Association for the opportunity to attend college without the financial burden it sometimes places on young college students and their families. “Roads” scholar Kendall Ruff of Harrison said, “I cannot stress enough how much help this has been financially for my family. Not only is it great receiving scholarship money from anyone, but the fact that I am receiving money from an association that cares so much about my well-being as a student and the well-being of the university I adore makes it even more special to me.”
Jalen Smith, of Harrisburg, received an Alumni Association scholarship enabling him to realize his dream of attending the University of Arkansas. “Coming from a small town, there is no time to ‘dream big.’ Until the ‘Roads’ Scholarship was awarded to me, I never really thought that dreams could actually come true, but I was proven wrong. This scholarship was my dream, and by the Arkansas Alumni Association’s support, they helped make it come true,” he said.
To find out how to purchase your own Hog Tag, visit http://www.hogtags.org/arkansas.php.
