UA Little Rock’s Brian Gray talks importance of scholarships
May 21-27, 2018
By Becca Bona
When it comes to higher education, Brian Gray knows doors tend open from his own experience. Gray was born in Clinton, Ark., and he had the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville on his horizon, until he realized something very important.
“I tried to go to school without scholarships and I quickly realized that it was expensive. […] The next thing you know I’m sitting in a recruiter’s office in Conway, and then I was in the Army,” he said.
During Gray’s thirteen year tour, he found time to take college level courses overseas. And while he took an unusually large load at a time – often cramming a year’s worth of classes into six months – he was glad he took the time to work on his degree.
“I was a very nontraditional student – to the extreme. I received probably half of my higher education over seas at some point,” he remembered.
When he returned to the states, Gray was able to finish his degree in Resource Management, which he received from Troy University’s campus at Fort Benning, Georgia.
He then returned to Central Arkansas, and began working at Camp Robinson’s Professional Education Center.
“I always wanted to work for a university … [and Camp Robinson] was close to a university vibe.”
Over seven years he served as an Instructor/Writer as well as a Training Developer. He changed directions when he began working with a nonprofit – the Rock Mountain Elk Foundation – a conservation and pro-hunting organization.
Gray had found a new niche in the position, as he said, “My primary focus was fundraising. I put on a lot of banquets and did a lot of major gift development with them. I found that I liked it a lot because I traveled and got to meet new people.”
When UA Little Rock first opened the new position – National Director of Development – Gray saw an opportunity to fulfill his dream of working in a university setting while doing what he loves – fundraising and development.
While each college within UA Little Rock has a development officer, Gray’s brand-new position focuses on out-of-state alumni members. His goal is to travel, meet alumni, and reignite their tie to the university with their philanthropic passions.
“I do research on each member, to see if there’s something in particular he or she may be passionate about. It’s all about relationship building. And it turn, it makes for a better university the more gifts we receive and the more scholarships we can provide – the more education is available.”
As a father of three, Gray considers his position in development as affecting them, in a way. He hopes that they will one day have access to scholarships, whether they attend UA Little Rock or choose a different route.
The majority of the students at UA Little Rock are able to take advantage of scholarship opportunities. Gray wants to see that number grow, as well as see people recognize UA Little Rock for the institution it has grown to be.
“UA Little Rock has been known as a commuter school, but people don’t really know that there are dorms here – that students live on campus. Even I was really surprised when I took my tour – I’ve only been here two months. But I took the tour and thought wow this is really progressive. The beautification is great.”
Gray’s main goal is to increase scholarships. “I was lucky, you know. I didn’t have to pay for college, Uncle Sam did.”
When not working, Gray likes to spend time outdoors – hiking, golfing, camping – enjoying the Natural State at large.
