New STEM-Focused University Breaks Ground, Unveils Bentonville Institute of Technology Name

Name reflects the city’s tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 2, 2026) — Today, a new STEM-focused university in Bentonville officially broke ground and announced its name, Bentonville Institute of Technology, marking a major milestone in creating a new model of higher education designed for the next generation of innovators.

“Bentonville Institute of Technology captures the essence of who we are: a technology-focused university rooted in one of the nation's most innovative communities,” said the institute’s president, Dr. David Mazyck. “The name reflects our belief that the next generation of technological advances can emerge from the heartland of America through an institution rooted in education, collaboration, and innovation.”

In 2025, Steuart Walton and Tom Walton announced their vision to reimagine STEM education through the founding of a new university in their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. Multiple members of the Walton family are supporting this vision, including Alice Walton through the Alice L. Walton Foundation. The university is being developed to reimagine higher education through a modern, flexible, and accessible model that combines STEM education with business, artificial intelligence, and real-world application.

“Bentonville has a long history of turning bold ideas into real change,” said Tom Walton. “Bentonville Institute of Technology is a chance to create a new model of education, one built for the world students are entering, with deep industry engagement from day one.”

Designed to Integrate Campus and Community

Earlier this year, the institute announced the selection of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, the internationally recognized architecture and urban design firm led by Bjarke Ingels, to plan and design the campus. The master plan integrates the institute with Bentonville’s network of parks and public spaces, creating a campus that connects downtown with surrounding green spaces.

The campus’s first phase will include approximately 444,000 square feet of academic, residential, and innovation space, anchored by three primary facilities: an academic building, student residences, and a makerspace. Together, these spaces are designed to support the institute’s mission of preparing students to thrive in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change.

A Historic Site with a New Purpose

The groundbreaking represents the beginning of construction and also marks the transformation of a site with deep roots in American entrepreneurship. The institute will be part of the mixed-use development planned for the former Walmart Home Office, where Sam Walton had his final office, connecting a site rooted in Bentonville’s entrepreneurial history with a new generation of innovation and learning. Its next chapter will bring together students, educators, entrepreneurs, industry, and community partners in an environment designed to encourage experimentation and problem solving.

“Our grandfather's curiosity drove everything he did. He walked his own stores and his competitors' with a notepad and came back to this site with ideas that changed an industry,” said Steuart Walton. “It's fitting that this ground will now be home to students who share that curiosity and have a drive to build.”

Investing in the Future of Northwest Arkansas

Bentonville Institute of Technology expects to welcome its first undergraduate class of approximately 300 students in August 2029 and eventually grow to approximately 1,500 undergraduate students and 500 working professionals.

During the institute’s initial years of operation, tuition is expected to be fully covered, creating broader access to its educational opportunities while attracting enterprising students eager to turn ideas into real-world solutions. Institute leaders envision the campus as a gateway for companies, entrepreneurs, and innovators to engage directly with students, helping create talent pipelines, incubate new ideas, and drive long-term economic growth.

A team of nationally recognized organizations are involved in the design and construction of Bentonville Institute of Technology: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects serves as Architect of Record for the project; Crossland Construction serves as general contractor; Walter P Moore and Henderson Engineers serve as engineering consultants; EDSA leads landscape architecture and planning.

Additional details about the institute’s campus, academic programs, leadership, admissions, and construction timeline will be shared as plans progress.

Learn more at bentonvilleinstitute.tech

Renderings are available here.

About Bentonville Institute of Technology™

Bentonville Institute of Technology is a nonprofit, business-infused institute designed to prepare the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and systems thinkers. The institute will embed artificial intelligence across its academic programs, teaching methods, and operations to help students create real-world value. Through a flexible, interdisciplinary approach to STEM education, Bentonville Institute of Technology aims to cultivate talent, expand opportunity, and strengthen Northwest Arkansas while helping shape a national model for the future of higher education. The campus, designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, is being developed on the former Walmart Home Office site in downtown Bentonville and is expected to welcome its first undergraduate class in 2029.

Media Contact

Twilla Brooks Lynette Create and Innovate info@lciassociates.net 8182166410