Hendrix College was founded as a primary school called Central Institute in 1876 at Altus, Arkansas, by Rev. Isham L. Burrow. In 1881 it was renamed Central Collegiate Institute when secondary and collegiate departments were added. The next year the first graduating collegiate class, composed of three women, were awarded Mistress of English Literature degrees. In 1884, three conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South purchased the school. This began the school's relationship with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and later The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church. The Central Collegiate Institute was renamed Hendrix College in 1889 in honor of Rev. Eugene Russell Hendrix, a presiding bishop over three Arkansas Methodist conferences. This same year, the primary school was discontinued.
Hendrix College was initially designated a male college, but by the time of the name change in 1889, the college allowed for the enrollment of women who were interested in the college's course of study. In 1890, after receiving bids from seven other Arkansas towns, the Hendrix Board of Trustees chose Conway as the new location for the college. College literary societies thrived at Hendrix from the 1890s through the 1930s, and they included the Harlan Literary Society, its rival—the Franklin Literary Society, and for women—the Hypatian Literary Society. Secondary education was discontinued in 1925. In 1929 the college merged with Henderson-Brown College, a private school in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, which briefly created Hendrix-Henderson College. Two years later the name reverted to Hendrix College. The merger resulted in Hendrix Bull Dogs becoming the Hendrix Warriors, and the college newspaper, the Bull Dog, being renamed the College Profile.
The newly expanded college planned to move to Little Rock, Arkansas, but the city of Conway was able to raise $150,000 to keep the school located there. In 1930 the name was briefly changed to Trinity College but was reverted to Hendrix College after opposition by students, alumni and townspeople. The financially troubled Galloway Woman’s College in Searcy, Arkansas was absorbed by Hendrix in 1933 during the Great Depression.
On November 1, 2013, the college announced that William Tsutsui will become its 11th president beginning in June 2014.
A delegation from BNU-HKBU United International College was invited by the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS), a consortium of 16 liberal arts colleges in the US, to explore collaborative ties. UIC visited three of the ACS member institutions between 17 and 25 April. The delegates discussed exchange opportunities and collaborative projects with Hendrix College.
2014–Present: Dr. William M. Tsutsui2001–2013: Dr. J. Timothy Cloyd1992–2001: Dr. Ann H. Die1981–1991: Dr. Joe B. Hatcher1969–1981: Dr. Roy Shilling Jr.1958–1969: Dr. Marshall T. Steel1945–1958: Dr. Matt L. Ellis1913–1945: John H. Reynolds1902–1910: Stonewall Anderson1887–1902, 1910–1913: Alexander C. Millar1884–1887: Isham L. BurrowHendrix is a primarily undergraduate institution with 34 majors and 38 minors, including a master's of accounting degree. The student body is about 1400, with students coming from most U. S. states and from over a dozen foreign countries. Notable are the Rwandan Presidential Scholars. Hendrix is the lead institution in a consortium of 19 private and public higher education institutions that together host over 220 students from Rwanda.
The Student Senate is the governing body of the student association. It has officers that are elected campus-wide along with representatives from each class, residence hall and apartment building.
Hendrix has no social fraternities or sororities. There are 65 student organizations that offer a wide range of activities, funded by a student activity fee. The largest student organization is Social Committee, or SoCo, which plans the major events on campus. The Office of Student Activities organizes weekend and Wednesday evening events. Major social events are usually held in "The Brick Pit," an outdoor area in the center of the campus. The most famous event is "Shirttails," a freshman dance-off that includes a serenade by the men's dorms.
Hendrix College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Warriors are a charter member of the new Southern Athletic Association (SAA), founded in 2011, after formerly being a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
In fall 2013, Hendrix was recognized as one of the country’s top “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges for the sixth consecutive year by US News and World Report. The 2014 US News Best Colleges guide lists Hendrix as #11 in a group of liberal arts colleges that demonstrate “A Strong Commitment to Teaching.” Hendrix is the only Arkansas institution to appear in the 2014 US News Best Colleges ranking of the top 100 private national liberal arts colleges. Hendrix was listed among the top liberal arts colleges “based on their contribution to the public good” by Washington Monthly. Hendrix is among the country’s top 100 most financially fit private colleges, according to a list published by Forbes magazine and is ranked #158 on the magazine’s list of America’s Top Colleges and #115 in a list of private colleges in the nation.” Hendrix is among the top colleges profiled in The Princeton Review's The Best 378 Colleges (2014). Hendrix was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 based on academic ratings, price category, and quality of student life on campus.
Hendrix was named in 2010 as one of "The Top 50 Schools That Produce Science PhDs" by CBS MoneyWatch.com which compiled its rankings using data from The National Science Foundation. The Institute of International Education awarded Hendrix with a 2012 Andrew Heiskell Award for International Exchange Partnerships as project coordinators of the Rwanda Presidential Scholars Program.
There are 36 buildings on campus, three of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Since the mid-1990s, the college has pursued a master plan for campus construction, developed in consultation with the architectural design firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co.
Academic and administrative buildings
Admin Houses: Health services, counseling services.Art Complex: Art department.Charles D. Morgan Center for Physical Sciences/Acxiom Hall: Chemistry department, Physics department.Olin C. Bailey LibraryBuhler Hall: Currently vacant, due to the addition of the Student Life and Technology Center.Mary Ann and David Dawkins Welcome Center: Currently under construction, scheduled for completion in late 2017. It will house the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid.Donald W. Reynolds Center for Life Sciences: Biology department, Psychology department.Ellis Hall: Office of Admission, Financial Aid; listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).Fausett Hall: Office of Administration, English department, Foreign Language departments.Greene Chapel: School's official chapel, venue for annual Candlelight Carol service.I.T.: Information technology offices.Morgan Center/John Hugh Reynolds: Mathematics and Computer Science department, Physics department, Chemistry department.Mills Center: Cabe Theater, Economics and Business department, Education department, History department, Politics and International Relations department, Sociology and Anthropology department.Bertie Wilson Murphy Building: Hendrix-Murphy Foundation.Physical Plant: (Originally built as short-term housing and called “East Hall”)Public Safety: Mainly deals with security and parking issues.Staples Auditorium: Large auditorium, also houses Greene Chapel.Trieschmann Building: Music department, Dance studio, Reves Recital Hall, and Trieschmann gallery.Student Life and Technology Center: Office of Student Affairs, Social Committee, Master Calendar, cafeteria, the Burrow (student deli), Oathout Technology Center (computer lab), IT Help Desk, Odyssey, and Career Services. It also contains all student activities and organization offices, the KHDX radio station, the Religious Life Suite, Residence Life offices and the post office.The Eco-House: Co-ed house with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.Apartments on Clifton StreetCouch Hall: Co-ed residence hall named after Arkansas entrepreneur Harvey Couch.The Hendrix Corner Apartments: Apartments located at the intersection of Front Street and Mill Street. (also called the Mill Street Apartments)Front Street Apartments: Apartments at the intersection of Front Street and Spruce Street.Galloway Hall: Female residence hall (NRHP) named to honor Bishop Charles Betts Galloway and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic PlacesHardin Hall: Male residence hall whose namesake, G.C. Hardin, was a 1905 graduate.Huntington Apartments: College-owned apartments located on Clifton Street.Martin Hall: Male residence hall (NRHP) named in honor of Conway civic leader Capt. W. W. Martin, who worked to bring Hendrix to ConwayThe Quad: Four co-ed residence houses: Cook, Dickinson, McCreight, and Browne.Brown House and Stella Boyle Smith House (commonly Smith House): Two co-ed residential houses close to The Quad.Language House: Single-language themed co-ed house. Rotates annually among French, German, and Spanish.Raney Hall: Female residence hall named in 1960 for Alton B. Raney, a former trustee of the college.Veasey Hall: Female residence hall named to honor former trustee Ruth Veasey.The Village Apartments Two mixed-use buildings with commercial space on the ground floors and student apartments on the upper floors, part of the Village at Hendrix, a New Urban-style housing development project.Wellness and Athletics Center: Houses the Physical Education department, basketball courts, a swimming pool, a free weights room, lacrosse field, an indoor track, a soccer field, and a baseball field. The underpass nearby, which connects the building to the main campus and runs under Harkrider Street, is the location of an interactive art exhibit by Christopher Janney titled Harmonic Fugue.Notable alumni and faculty
Ashlie Atkinson: film, television, and stage actressCharles R. Attwood: pediatrician and authorDouglas Blackmon: journalist and bureau chief with the Wall Street Journal; winner of Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for book Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, adapted as a PBS documentary in 2012, available onlineJohn Burkhalter: businessman, former chairman of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Highway Commission; ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against Tim Griffin in 2014 for Lieutenant Governor of ArkansasSarah Caldwell: notable opera conductor; first female conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City; winner in 1996 of the National Medal of ArtsNatalie Canerday: actress; notable roles in Sling Blade and October SkyHayes Carll: country singer-songwriter; Americana Music Award winnerClint Catalyst: writer, spoken-word performer, journalistMichael Cox: senior vice president and Chief Economist of the Federal Reserve Bank of DallasBracken Darrell: president of Whirlpool Europe (2009–2012); Executive Vice President of Whirlpool Corporation; president/CEO of LogitechJoe G. Hollyfield: prominent vision science researcherJay Dickey: former Congressman; author of the Dickey AmendmentSusan Dunn: opera singerTimothy Davis Fox: judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of the State of ArkansasRandy Goodrum: songwriter who wrote "You Needed Me," which was sung by Anne Murray, and many others including songs by the bands Toto and DeBarge, as well as for solo artists such as Steve PerryTim Griffin: U.S. Representative for the Second District of Arkansas, interim U.S. Attorney, Justice Department official, aide to Karl RoveAlan W. Eastham: Senior Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador to the Republic of Congo and many other African nations, Director of Central African Affairs, Senior Fellow at Hendrix CollegeDana Falconberry: singer-songwriterAnn Die Hasselmo: president of Hendrix College 1992–2001Doyle Overton Hickey: Army officer who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean WarMissy Irvin: adjunct professor of dance at Hendrix; current Republican member of Arkansas State Senate from Mountain ViewDerek Lowe: pharmaceutical researcherRock F. Jones: president of Ohio Wesleyan UniversityJo Luck: former CEO of Heifer International, a world hunger organizationJay McDaniel: Professor of Religion, who is known in academic circles for process theology and ecological theologyHarry Meyer: co-developed the vaccine for German MeaslesWilbur D. Mills: former U.S. Representative for the Second District of Arkansas; Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, played a large role in the creation of Medicare.Robert L. Moore: Jungian psychoanalyst, professor at Chicago Theological SeminaryBen Nichols: lead singer of LuceroConrad Odom: lawyerSteven Ozment: McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History at Harvard University and author of A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German PeopleMargaret Pittman: first female head of a National Institute of Health laboratory and pioneer in developing the vaccine for pertussisWilliam Ragsdale: actor, star of movie Fright Night and television series Herman's HeadJohn E. Sanders: Christian theologian and authorBenjamin Schumacher: U.S. theoretical physicist, known for contributions to field of quantum information including development of what is now known as Schumacher compressionP. Allen Smith: garden designerMary Steenburgen: Academy Award-winning actress, wife of Ted Danson; she left during her sophomore yearTrenton Lee Stewart: author of The Mysterious Benedict Society booksJoe Stroud, editor for 25 years of the Detroit Free PressWallace Townsend (Class of 1902): Arkansas Republican national committeeman from 1928 to 1961; Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1916 and 1920; Little Rock lawyer until he was 92Joan Wagnon: former mayor of Topeka, Kansas (1997–2001) and former Kansas Secretary of RevenueBilly Roy Wilson: federal judgeWinston P. Wilson, Air Force Major General and Chief of the National Guard Bureau
