Walton-backed STEM university breaks ground

• The plan is to combine STEM education with business, artificial intelligence and real-world application, according to a news release.

Catch up quick: Steuart and Tom Walton, grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, announced plans for the university in May 2025.

• The brothers and business partners in 2022 announced their plans for their company to buy the former Walmart headquarters property, but they didn't say at the time what they planned to do with it. The new Walmart campus in Bentonville fully opened this year, paving the way for the former site to be redeveloped.

What they're saying: "I believe our purpose begins with a gap we see in STEM education," university president David Mazyck said at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday.

• "Universities can produce technically capable graduates, but technical capability alone is no longer enough," he said. "The people who create meaningful impact must also know how to identify the right problems, understand human needs, work across disciplines, exercise judgement, communicate complex ideas, understand how value is created, and turn ideas into solutions that actually work in the world."

How it works: The school's curriculum will be designed so that students earn bachelor's degrees in three years rather than operating on a traditional semester schedule, Mazyck told Axios.

• In addition to undergraduate students, the university will offer certification programs for working professionals.
• The plan is to have an inaugural undergraduate class of 300 students plus 100 professional learners and eventually grow to a total of 1,500 undergraduate students and 500 professional learners, he said.
• Ideally, about half of the students will come from Arkansas and surrounding states, he said, adding that people often seek employment in areas where they went to school.
• The university will conduct a nationwide search for its faculty of about 100.

The intrigue: The university emphasizes enrolling students who demonstrate a high level of building upon their curiosity, Mazyck said, giving a hyperbolic example of a kid who rushes home from school because they're building a time machine in their backyard.

• The school will conduct interviews with prospective students and may observe them working in teams.

Zoom out: The intention is for the campus to be integrated with Bentonville's downtown and to build a new neighborhood over time, Tom Walton said at the groundbreaking.

• He mentioned office buildings, a variety of housing, a new hotel and "even another square for the town of Bentonville," noting that the city's current downtown area will likely be limiting in the next 10-15 years.

State of play: The campus is starting with three buildings — including an academic building, makerspace building and residence hall — totaling about 444,000 square feet.

• The makerspace building will be an innovation hub that aligns with the university's philosophy that students should be constantly building and experimenting, Mazyck said at the groundbreaking.
• The residence hall will have 400 beds, he told Axios.

Zoom in: Bentonville Public Schools science faculty have been working with the university to develop curriculum they will pilot in Advanced Placement biology classes, superintendent Debbie Jones told Axios.

• The plan is for the university to be able to use that curriculum, she said.

What's next: The Bentonville Institute of Technology is expected to open in fall 2029. Tuition will be free to students during the initial years, according to the news release.