Hill’s Endowment for Fay Jones School Focuses on Health Care and Wellness Design

University of Arkansas alumnus Charles C. Hill has established two endowments to benefit the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. The planned gift of $100,000 will establish the Charles C. Hill Scholarship in Health Care and Wellness Design and the Charles C. Hill Endowed Lecture in Health Care and Wellness Design, each in the amount of $50,000.

The endowed scholarship provides financial support to students in the Master of Design Studies program with a concentration in healthcare and wellness design. Establishing a graduate student endowment significantly improves access to financial resources for students who often have limited scholarship options.

The endowed conference will fund a conference each year at the Fay Jones School, intended to engage, inform and educate students, other design professionals and community members about the impacts and importance of healthcare design and well-being.

Together, the endowments will help the Fay Jones School prepare students for the changing future of healthcare design by promoting innovative teaching, exposing students to progressive design concepts from the most advanced healthcare systems to the world and reducing the financial burden on students graduating from the school. .

“Charles Hill’s support of health care and wellness design will have a lasting impact, not only on the students who benefit from these endowments, but also on the communities they will then serve,” said Chancellor Charles Robinson. “We appreciate his generosity, his continued commitment to our students and his support of the university’s mission to improve the lives of all Arkansans.”

“The Fay Jones School continues to broaden and deepen its excellent undergraduate professional programs into directed graduate programs aimed at solving compelling state, regional and national issues through architecture and design” , said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. “Alumnus Charles Hill, with this generous gift, allows us to continue our ambition in the specific imperative of designing health and well-being. On behalf of the school, I am very grateful to Charles for this far-sighted and compassionate contribution to the school and the future of our students.

Comprehensive knowledge of the health system is essential for interpreting its current and future needs, and adaptability is a key element of this knowledge. As an example, Hill referenced the changing health care needs of baby boomers.

“As the baby boomers became adults, a dire need for obstetrics and pediatrics emerged,” Hill said. “Recently, the needs of baby boomers have shifted to geriatrics, orthopedics and extended care. We need to develop a curriculum that challenges architects to identify the changing needs of our healthcare system and prepare our students to design for those needs.

“We are grateful to Charles Hill for his commitment to advancing opportunities for students entering the evolving landscape of healthcare design,” said Scott Varady, vice chancellor for advancement. “This investment in the Fay Jones School will help ensure graduates are equipped to excel in this concentration and meet related needs in the communities they serve.”

Hill’s connection to the Fay Jones School is older than the school itself. When he was a student, the Department of Architecture was part of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Everything worked together,” Hill said, recalling the days when architecture, theater, music and art were all housed at the Fine Arts Center. It was not until 1974, a year after his graduation, that the Department of Architecture became the School of Architecture, naming E. Fay Jones as its first dean.

Hill spent much of his childhood at Buffalo River State Park, which later became part of Buffalo River National, where he learned to love the outdoors. When he was 11, his family moved to Little Rock. The transition to city life was difficult, but as he adapted, Hill developed an interest in engineering and architecture and decided to study civil engineering at Arkansas Tech University.

Later, Hill decided to attend the University of Arkansas. Professor Gatchell of the College of Engineering suggested he might consider architecture based on his varied interest in building structure and art. John Williams, founder of the university’s architecture program, explained how architecture was a fusion of the technical aspects of engineering with the environmental and aesthetic aspects of design; Hill chose architecture. He was selected to fill one of 50 available spots in the architecture program in the fall of 1963.

Like many young men at the time, in 1968 Hill left school and enlisted in the Army National Guard. After basic training, he worked first for the Arkansas Highway Department and then for a local architectural firm in North Little Rock. It didn’t take long, however, for Hill to return to the University of Alberta to complete his studies in architecture in 1973.

Hill’s early experiences established a career-long connection to health care design. A key school assignment was to research continuing care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, to determine how design could impact care and improve quality of life for residents. In the late 1960s, his first project at Renshaw and Taylor, an architectural firm in North Little Rock, was an extended care facility. After graduation, Hill joined Erhart, Eichenbaum, Rauch and Blass, a Little Rock firm founded in 1930 specializing in health care design.

“I chose architecture because I enjoy the creative process, organization – and because I love people,” Hill said. “To be a successful architect, you have to love and care about people. This is who we design buildings for. If you don’t do this, you’re missing the point of the profession.

Hill graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1973. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Society, a member of the Arkansas Alumni Association and recognized as an in-depth student for his consecutive years of giving to the university.

Hill continues to support the Fay Jones School as a member of the Dean’s Circle, a group of designers and industry leaders who provide advice, expertise and financial support. They also serve as mentors and ambassadors for the Fay Jones School.

About academic advancement: University Advancement advances the mission of the University of Arkansas by raising private donations from alumni, friends, parents, foundations, corporations and other institutional supporters. Working in philanthropic partnership with university leaders and volunteers, Advancement team members are committed to advancing the people, work and impact of the entire University of Arkansas.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A offers an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to the Arkansas economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity, while also providing training in professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the University of Alberta among the few American colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the nation’s top public universities. Learn how the University of Alberta is working to build a better world on Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.