Inaugural Odyssey Professors

CONWAY, Ark. (April 18, 2008) –Hendrix College professors have been selected as inaugural recipients of Hendrix Odyssey Professorship positions beginning in the 2008-09 academic year. They are:

• Professor of Chemistry Tom Goodwin has been named to the Julia Mobley Odyssey Professorship.  Goodwin, the 2003 Carnegie U. S. Professor of the Year for Baccalaureate Institutions, will involve Hendrix students, as well as local high school students and science faculty, in pursuing research on chemical communication among mammals.
• Professor Joyce Hardin, Associate Professor Matt Moran, and Assistant Professor George Harper, all of the Biology Department, will jointly hold the Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professorship, developing research and internship opportunities for Hendrix students in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and the Nature Conservancy.
• Ian King is the recipient of the Morriss and Ann Henry Odyssey Professorship.  He will pursue his research interest in Latin American politics, culminating in a study trip to Latin America with several Hendrix students.
• Jay McDaniel has been named to the Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Professorship, combining his interest in sustainability with research, service, and internship opportunities for students in partnership with Heifer International.
• Professor of Economics Tom Stanley has been named to the Bill and Connie Bowen Odyssey Professorship.  An expert in meta-analysis, Stanley’s project will involve students in international research projects in economics, will fund their participation in international conferences, and will allow them to be involved in the hosting of an international colloquium at Hendrix in 2010.

Odyssey professorships are held for limited periods, usually up to three years, and support faculty development and faculty-student collaborative projects.  The endowments yield approximately $25,000 annually for each professorship. 

Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.