The Oklahoma/Arkansas Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has pledged $500,000 to the University of Arkansas (UA)—Department of Civil Engineering for concrete pavement research. The pledge amount will be distributed over a five-year period at $100,000 per year. “The Oklahoma/Arkansas Chapter of ACPA is proud to be able to support the University of Arkansas Department of Civil Engineering through this $500,000 gift. These funds will be used to support students interested in concrete pavement materials 
and construction and advance concrete initiatives in Arkansas,” said Alan Meadors, Arkansas Promotional Director-ACPA.
The initiative was announced at the annual “Arkansas Concrete Pavement Conference” held in Little Rock, Arkansas August 21-22, 2018. The research funding was provided by the chapter membership to advance the design, construction and maintenance of concrete pavements within the State of Arkansas. Jerry Voigt, President and CEO-ACPA was one of several speakers representing industry and academia at the two-day conference, where he provided an overview on ACPA national activities, including program updates.
Cameron Murray, Assistant Professor-Civil Engineering-U of A, said, “Most people do not think there is much science to a concrete pavement, but in reality, this area of civil engineering is becoming more advanced and more complex. This transformational gift represents a major commitment to support our continuing studies on concrete pavements. With this gift, the U of A will become a national leader in the field of concrete pavement research, and we can help the state of Arkansas stay at the forefront of high quality, long-lasting concrete pavement construction. Over the past 20 years, there has been high-quality concrete materials research performed at the University of Arkansas. Thanks to this work, the U of A has developed a reputation in the regional concrete industry as a leader in this area. These efforts have led to this tremendous gift from the ACPA to support concrete initiatives!”
He added that laboratory goals include improving the cost-effectiveness and quality of concrete pavements. Information put together by ACPA describes concrete pavement as having common applications that include streets, airports, industrial sites and parking facilities. “When designed correctly, Portland cement concrete pavements are long-lasting, durable and strong. This gift will allow researchers in our laboratory to improve the cost-effectiveness and quality of concrete pavements in this state and around the country. I am personally very excited to plan the future work this generous gift will enable,” Murray said.
Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1.25 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.
Arkansas/Oklahoma-ACPA is one of 21 chapters of the ACPA whose purpose is to improve and extend the use of Portland cement concrete in the construction of pavements and to assist the cement and concrete paving industries in technical, educational, and promotional aspects, ensuring continued successful use of the material with economy to serve the needs throughout the states of Oklahoma and Arkansas for pavement construction.
For links of the two contributing articles, please go to:
Arkansas Democrat Gazette titled “Gift to fund study of concrete paving”: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/oct/03/gift-to-fund-study-of-concrete-paving-2-1/
University of Arkansas News titled “$500,000 Gift Paves the Way for Concrete Research at the U of A”: https://news.uark.edu/articles/43969/-500-000-gift-paves-the-way-for-concrete-research-at-the-u-of-a