"Unite the pair so long disjoined, knowledge and vital piety."
― Charles Wesley
Hendrix is one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges today, because almost
130 years ago a Methodist minister committed himself to creating an educational
institution of the highest caliber. He refused to settle for second best, from himself
or his students.
The institution he founded became Hendrix College and his legacy is powerful
proof of the difference one life can make. Since 1876, when Reverend Isham Burrow,
a Methodist pastor, established Central Institute in Altus, Arkansas, Hendrix has
grown from one man’s dream to a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences
education.
In 1884, the institution officially entered into a relationship with the Methodist
Church in Arkansas and in 1889, the institution was renamed Hendrix College in honor
of Bishop Eugene R. Hendrix. The next year, the college was moved from Altus to
Conway.
After the turn of the century, the college was cited by the U.S. Office of Education
as having higher standards for admission and graduation than any other institution
of higher learning in Arkansas. It also was accredited as a “Class A” college by
the Methodist Church and became accredited both nationally and internationally.
Today, Hendrix is part of a vital network of the United Methodist institutions of
higher education and is accredited by the University Senate of the United Methodist
Church.
Vital piety, sound minds, generous hearts, and helping hands. These are just
a few of the goals that Hendrix College founder, Reverend Isham Burrow, set when
the college was founded. The historic relationship between the College and the United
Methodist Churches of Arkansas continues to achieve these early goals. With the
motto, “unto the whole person,” Hendrix College is committed to not only educate
the mind, but also shape the spirit.
J. Wayne Clark
Chaplain and Director of Church Relations
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