Dr. David Mazyck has been appointed the inaugural president of a new STEM-focused university planned by the Walton family for Bentonville.
The university was first announced last year. Mazyck most recently served as professor and head of the School of Engineering Design and Innovation at Pennsylvania State University, where he led a multidisciplinary academic unit dedicated to experiential, hands-on education at scale. He will oversee the planning and formation of the nonprofit, business-infused university, which will embed artificial intelligence across its academic programs, teaching methods and institutional operations to help students create real-world value, according to a press release. The as-yet-named university intends to welcome its first class of roughly 500 students in 2029 with plans to accommodate about 1,500 undergraduates and 500 non-degree learners. It will be located on the site of the former Walmart Home Office.
The Mazyck appointment marks a milestone in the vision championed by Tom Walton and Steuart Walton to reimagine STEM education for the next generation of innovators, builders and entrepreneurs.
“We set out to find a leader capable of turning an ambitious vision into a world-class institution,” said Steuart Walton. “Dr. Mazyck brings the imagination, intellectual rigor, and builder’s instinct to create something genuinely new in higher education. He has consistently challenged conventional models and is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts to design programs that equip students to solve complex problems, lead with confidence, and build what comes next in an AI-driven world. His arrival marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, and we’re eager to get started.”
Over the coming weeks, site preparation work will begin at the old home office site at 508 and 608 SW 8th St. The overall site will become a mixed-use development with office, hotel, multi-family and retail components managed by the Walton-backed Runway hospitality group.
Building materials — approximately 7,000 tons of concrete slabs and shallow foundations, and nearly 900 tons of metal structure — will be recycled and salvaged from the two structures, according to the release.
“Universities are among the most important knowledge assets for cities and states, shaping the economic prospects of their regions and the nation overall,” said Ross DeVol, chairman of the board and CEO of Bentonville nonprofit think-tank Heartland Forward. “The creation of a new STEM-focused university in Bentonville represents a bold step to strengthen our region’s innovation capacity and deepen our workforce. By embedding technology transfer and commercialization into the very fabric of the institution, we can accelerate the movement of ideas from the lab to the marketplace, drive economic growth across the Heartland, and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and industries of the future.”
Multiple members of the Walton family are supporting the vision, including Alice Walton through the Alice L. Walton Foundation. Recently, she opened the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and Heartland Whole Health Institute on the nearby Crystal Bridges campus, and announced plans for a Bentonville-based health and wellness campus, which will include learning spaces for high school students in health sciences, global business, technology and engineering throughout northwest Arkansas.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Mazyck to Bentonville, and his spirit of collaboration and innovation will be an excellent fit for this new role,” said Alice Walton. “Our region has a strong legacy of entrepreneurship, and with Dr. Mazyck’s guidance, we look forward to developing the next generation of leaders for our region and beyond.”
Mazyck said he was grateful to the Walton family for the opportunity to build something new from the ground up.
“This STEM-focused university is being designed with an entrepreneurial mindset and a clear sense of urgency, purpose-built to deliver exceptional value for students, employers, and the region,” he said. “We are creating an environment where learning and execution are inseparable, where industry is embedded as a partner, and where students graduate not just prepared, but confident in their ability to build, lead, and solve real problems from day one. The STEM-focused university will be a catalyst for regional talent, economic mobility and long-term growth, strengthening northwest Arkansas while shaping a national model for what STEM education can become.”
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