calsfoundation@cals.org
January 25, 2010
Pastor Robert Graham of the Disciples of Christ founded Arkansas College in Fayetteville (Washington County) in the 1850s. It was the first degree-conferring institution chartered by the state to open. The college awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in 1854 and, at its height, enrolled about 200 students. In March 1862, the school buildings were burned by Confederate forces, closing the school’s doors forever.