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UALR Desegregation: 50 Years After

In August 1964, Little Rock University (LRU, now UALR) admitted its first African American students under threat of losing federal funds if it did not desegregate following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In his annual report, President Carey V. Stabler noted: “Apparently, we shall have about a 13 per cent increase in enrollment, most of which is in the new freshmen group which increased nearly 25 per cent…Among the students are seven Negroes, three full-time and four part-time. No Negro applicants were refused admission, but several withdrew their applications when notified of the change in policy and others did not complete their applications.” One of the African American students, Wanda Hamilton, still has her letter from 1963 when she was refused entry on the grounds that LRU was a whites only institution.