Institute News in April 2024
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
We continue Winthrop Rockefeller’s collaborative approach to creating transformational change.
The Institute has begun scheduling local listening sessions as part of the next phase of Civic Arkansas. We are excited to move into this phase of our work, seeking to learn directly from Arkansans. We will start with listening sessions in May at the following locations:
The goal of each session is to engage as many people as possible from as many backgrounds as possible (e.g., social, economic, racial, and political). Each 90-minute listening session will be hosted by a local community partner and facilitated by Institute staff.
If you would like an invitation to one or any of these listening sessions, please fill out the brief form on our website.
New Sculpture Unveiled During Celebration of Life on March 30
The Institute hosted a Celebration of Life event on March 30 in honor of Marion B. Burton, who passed away on January 27, 2024, at the age of 93.
Over 100 of Burton’s family members, friends, and colleagues attended the celebration, which included several speakers, an aircraft flyover, U.S. Navy funeral honors, a poem reading by his grandchildren, and the dedication of a new sculpture commissioned by his family. The sculpture — Visibility: Unlimited by Arkansas raw industrial artist Russell Lemond — is now available for public viewing at our Studio Overlook.
“What we are going to do today is tell the story of Marion Burton,” Janet Harris , Institute executive director/CEO, said at the start of Saturday’s event. “The story of an Arkansan who never stopped chasing the horizon and whose legacy is an encouragement for us to do the same.” (Read more)
Institute Sees 109% Increase in Conference Growth During 2022-23 Fiscal Year
Our process, the Rockefeller Ethic, has collaboration at its core, not just for our guests and participants but also for our staff. In fiscal year 2023, investing in our process and people looked like improving our enterprise-wide system technology, including digital signage in our main building, modern financial software, and Microsoft 365 for all employees.
We also began implementing a new hospitality and customer relationship management tool to revolutionize how we communicate with our clients and conduct business. We’ll launch our new system in early 2024 and eagerly await the possibilities it will unlock to better deliver our mission to Arkansas and the region. Click here to read our 2022-23 Annual Report.
Researchers, Media Experience Total Solar Eclipse at Institute
More than 100 faculty and student researchers from Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee gathered at the Institute earlier this month to experience the state’s first total solar eclipse since 1918.
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Our scenic location atop Petit Jean Mountain experienced over four minutes of totality — the maximum phase of a solar eclipse, during which Earth’s moon completely covers the sun.
The convening was organized by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC), a “pivotal part of a nationwide network funded by NASA to enhance America’s aerospace science and technology capabilities,” according to their website. ASGC is a long-time annual conference client of the Institute, and we were honored to host and help plan this historic event. (Read more)
We're proud to sponsor another year of Conway Area Chamber of Commerce 's Conway Area Leadership Institute! Earlier this month, our team led this year's class on "Tools for Respectful Dialogue,” an Institute professional development workshop designed to teach participants some of our favorite meeting design and facilitation tools they can bring back to their organizations.
Over the next 10 months, CALI participants will engage in learning based on the community's long-range strategic plan, Conway2035, with sessions on community and economic development, education and workforce development, quality of life, planning and transportation, health care, public safety, community leadership, and more.
Our Institute workshops can help your team:
Thank you to the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Morrilton Depot Museum for inviting us to be part of the unveiling of Rockefeller Plaza in downtown Morrilton!
"I know that this is envisioned as a place, like the Institute, where people can connect, be in community together, celebrate special occasions, learn history, and all those things that were important to Winthrop Rockefeller when he moved here and established his home atop Petit Jean Mountain," Janet Harris , Institute executive director/CEO, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Since 2011, the site has featured a statue of Winthrop Rockefeller's son, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, who was Lt. Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until his death in 2006. Given his famous last name and extraordinary resources, he could have chosen to live anywhere in the world, but like his father, he chose Arkansas.
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to continue Winthrop Rockefeller's collaborative approach to transformational change. We do this work by employing the "Rockefeller Ethic," which represents the belief that diversity of opinion, engaging in respectful dialogue, and practicing collaborative problem solving combine to create transformational change.