I have enjoyed the discussion that the addition of football as a varsity sport at Hendrix has generated.  As a person who has spent the past 15 or so years involved in intercollegiate athletics and higher education, I’m obviously sold on the idea that participation in sports can be a positive experience for student-athletes, at whatever level of participation.  And, I can certainly understand some people’s trepidation though at the thought of introducing football into our environment, but for those who are worried, perhaps I can better explain the philosophy of the athletics program at Hendrix, and also let you know how we grade ourselves annually when we are reviewing each sport.  Basically, there are five tenets of success for our department.  Those are:

Recruiting

• The prospects should meet or exceed the academic profile of the non-athletes.
  Over the past few years, recruited student-athletes have had essentially the same academic profile as the entering non-athletes.  The academic profile of 160 recruited student-athletes who are entering Hendrix this fall is 27 ACT, 1222 SAT, 3.7 g.p.a. 
• The prospects should have a broad range of expected majors and interests.
  The 160 recruited student-athletes do indeed have a broad range of intended majors.  Pre-med hopefuls are the largest group (28), followed by Biology (16), Business and Economics (13), Pre-Engineering (9), Education (6), Kinesiology (6), Politics (6), History and Psychology (5).  Almost every department in the College has at least 1 or 2 intended majors from this group of recruited student-athletes.  

Retention and Graduation

• 80% of recruited student-athletes should graduate from Hendrix in 4 years. 
  We have not yet achieved that goal, but we’re close.  Currently the 4 year graduation rate is 78%.  This graduation rate is currently higher than the student body at large.
• Team grade point averages should be 3.0 or better.
  Again, we’re close.  As of last spring, 15 of 19 teams had a cumulative team grade point average of 3.0 or better.  The cumulative grade point average for all 231 student-athletes was 3.15 and 57% of student-athletes were named to the SCAC Academic Honor Roll.  

Sportsmanship

• We endeavor to win and lose with class and dignity. 
  We keep track of infractions, etc. with regard to both coaches and players and expect our teams to represent the College in a first class manner.  We endeavor to have the most positive fans in our conference.  This fall we will become more intentional regarding sportsmanship by participating in a Conference wide sportsmanship initiative that promotes our fans to “Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Positive.”

Competitiveness

• We endeavor to win more than we lose. 
  We are getting better, and we certainly are continuing to focus more on our on-field performance and in getting better on the field.  We will not, however, sacrifice the above three tenets in order to increase our winning percentage.  We have not thus far, and we will not in the future.  And if we do, we should be held accountable for that.  

Integration

• Athletic staff and student-athletes should be involved in the academic and social mission of the College. Student-athletes should be provided the opportunity to have a full college experience. 
  Currently our student-athletes are involved in numerous on-campus clubs, organizations, etc.  Additionally, many sports complete service projects as teams.  This fall we’ll continue to formalize a campus integration programs that we started last fall – our “faculty fellows” program. 

The reason I’ve listed these items and measurements of performance are two-fold.  First, I don’t think many of our alumni and friends really understand what we’re trying to accomplish with our athletic program, and if there is one thing the football debate has done, it has gotten many more people to take a look at athletics at Hendrix and to take an interest in what’s been going on.  Secondly, the intercollegiate football team will have to adhere to the exact same criteria that all other sports’ teams adhere to – and those five criteria are listed above.  Football, and football student-athletes, won’t be pulled out of the equation and given special treatment.  I am confident that we can join our fellow SCAC schools in attracting high quality student-athletes to our campus. 

I am proud that with the addition of Division III football and women‘s lacrosse, Hendrix will sponsor the broadest based athletic program in the state of Arkansas.  That’s right, we’ll provide more opportunities for athletics participation than any school in the state – including the University of Arkansas.  Division III sports should be a wonderful co-curricular experience for the students who elect to participate, and we’ll endeavor in our department to make sure that all Hendrix student-athletes are provided with a chance to have fun playing.  

Danny Powell
Executive Director of Athletics, Recreation and Wellness

Without a doubt, the topic of football has generated the most reaction from our alumni since my return to the Hendrix College campus. For whatever reason, football is an emotional issue. Whether it is based on our southern location and its particular opinion of the sport or because of our individual past experiences, everyone has had a reaction and response. For some, it's a response based on a return of what was a wonderful part of their Hendrix experience. For others, there is a reluctance to accept a change that might alter what they perceive as their personal experience on the Hendrix campus.

It's human nature to not want things to change, especially something we hold most dear. If you think about it, as a student on the Hendrix College campus, you did experience change. We were each changed in our perceptions, in our views on the world, and especially in our ways of learning and thinking. Hendrix College changed us, but the Hendrix campus also is changed. The campus you expereinced as a first year student is not the campus you left after a few years. In the late 70's the last of the hippies were here when I arrived and the first preppies were here when I left in the early eighties. My experience is not unusual.

Our Hendrix experiences were influenced by a full spectrum of classes, activities, events, and relationships. With the arrival of football, there will just be one more event to participate in or attend and cheer for the Warriors. Division III football has never been seen in Arkansas and we have the opportunity to showcase a sport in a new light. Some people's perception of football may change, but Hendrix College at its core will not change. Your Hendrix experience will never change either. It will always be with you as you choose to remember it.

It’s been said that the culture of a NCAA Division III football team mirrors the team’s institution. That’s a stark – and refreshing – difference from larger institutions like the University of Arkansas (and most high schools in the South) where the institution mirrors the football team. But that brings up an interesting question – What will football look like at Hendrix? How will our football team mirror our culture, and what can we do to ensure the football team DOES reflect our culture?  

Some D-III schools have interactive marching bands – one even has an all-kazoo marching band. Others do creative things at halftime – like science experiments at midfield.

Football at Hendrix is a blank canvas, and the Hendrix Community is the artist. How will we create it?

The decision to add NCAA Division III non-scholarship football at Hendrix had been discussed in numerous forums and blogs. We invite you to join this conversation by reading and posting comments to this blog that the College has created to discuss the Board of Trustees’ decision. We believe this will be the best and most direct way to answer your questions and hear your ideas.

Throughout this ongoing discussion, we plan to keep you updated on the latest news. Expect for Pamela Owen, Associate Vice President for Alumni and Constituent Relations, and Danny Powell, Executive Director of Athletics, Recreation and Wellness, to also weigh in on issues and discussions as we progress. And, as Director of Media Relations, I’ll make sure you get the latest information in this forum. We’re looking forward to this opportunity to talk about the past, present and future of intercollegiate sports at Hendrix and whatever other topics arise.