CONWAY,
Ark. (August 16, 2021) — The Fall 2021 semester at Hendrix College comes on the
heels of a successful fundraising year, including $22 million in new gifts and
pledges for A Time to Lead, the College’s $150 million campaign.
The
campaign now stands at $133 million, according to Hendrix President Ellis
Arnold, who shared the news with Hendrix faculty members in his opening remarks
at today’s 2021 Fall Faculty Conference on campus.
Last
fiscal year was the second most successful fundraising year in Hendrix’s
history, second only to 2015, the year that the College recorded the $26 million Dawkins estate gift.
Among
many highlights of this recent fiscal year, Arnold said the College surpassed its
original $110 million campaign goal a year ahead of schedule.
In
November, Hendrix received a $15 million
gift from the Windgate Foundation, the largest outright gift in Hendrix’s
history. With this gift, the campaign was expanded to $150 million and extended
to 2023.
In
April, the College received a $2 million
challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation to support the Residence Hall Renewal
Project, beginning with $9.2 million in renovations of Martin and Veasey Halls.
“We
have made excellent progress toward our project budget this summer,” Arnold
said. “Today, we are now within $690,000 of our total project cost. Demolition
has begun in both buildings, and the project will be complete next summer in
time for students to return next August.”
The
College also increased its campaign goal for endowed gifts from $60 million to
$84 million.
“This
is an important element of our expanded campaign, as we seek to create a larger
pipeline of current and future endowment gifts,” said Arnold, adding that the
market value of the College's endowment increased from $181 million on May 31,
2020, to $238 million on May 31, 2021. “The current value of the endowment is
the highest in history and is important to our overall, long-term financial
strength.”
New students will participate in a variety of orientation activities
through this weekend, and classes for the Fall 2021 semester begin Tuesday,
August 24.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.