College surpasses $150 million goal for A Time to Lead
CONWAY, Ark. (November 17, 2022) — Hendrix College has
successfully reached its $150 million fundraising goal for A Time to Lead,
the largest campaign in its 146-year history. With $150.46 million in gifts and
pledges raised to date, the College has surpassed the campaign’s goal a year
ahead of its December 2023 deadline.
“We are so grateful to Hendrix alumni, donors, and friends
for their enthusiastic endorsement and generous support of the priorities of
this campaign,” said Hendrix College President Ellis Arnold. “Our success is a direct
reflection of their strong belief in the mission of Hendrix and their love for
the character, spirit, and traditions of the College.”
Watch the video
announcement
The $150 million goal for A Time to Lead included $30
million for the Hendrix Annual Fund, $84 million for the Hendrix endowment, and
$36 million for capital projects.
“Together, in less than 24 months, we have significantly
increased the College’s endowment, the engine that will drive the future success
of this institution,” Arnold said. “We have also completed renovations of two
historic residence halls (Martin and Veasey Halls), which opened to students
this fall, along with numerous campus improvements and new programs that will enhance
the academic and campus life experience of future generations of Hendrix
students for years to come.”
Today’s announcement comes just two years after Hendrix
received a $15
million gift from the Windgate Foundation, the largest outright
gift in the College’s history, and expanded its previous $110 million campaign
goal to $150 million after surpassing the original goal a year ahead of
schedule.
The success of A Time to Lead builds on a period of
positive forward momentum for Hendrix, Arnold said.
This fall, Hendrix College saw an increase
in both total and new student enrollment for the third consecutive year.
After receiving a record 2,801 applications for fall 2022, Hendrix welcomed 375
new students to campus in August, a 13% increase compared to a year ago. This
year’s new student enrollment is the highest in seven years at Hendrix, with
students from 23 states and multiple foreign countries. After Census Day
(Wednesday, September 7, 2022, the 10th day of fall semester classes), the
College’s total enrollment increased by 2% to 1,144 students from the 2021-22
academic year.
Hendrix College was recognized nationally for innovation and
undergraduate teaching in this year’s U.S. News & World Report 2023
Best Colleges rankings. In addition to appearing on a list of Best National
Liberal Arts Colleges, Hendrix is #23 in Most Innovative Schools (an increase
of 13 places from last year) and #55 in the Best Undergraduate Teaching (an
increase of nine places from last year). In addition to the U.S. News
& World Report 2023 Best Colleges rankings, Hendrix is featured in
the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023, The Princeton Review,
and Washington Monthly’s 2022 College Guide. Niche.com cites
Hendrix among the 2023 Best Colleges in America, and College Consensus cites
Hendrix in numerous categories, including Best National Liberal Arts Colleges,
Best Private Colleges, Best Small Colleges, and 50 Underrated Colleges Doing Great
Things.
“Our campaign success, enrollment growth, and growing
national recognition speaks not only to the overall quality and value of the
academic program at Hendrix, but also to the distinctiveness of our approach to
engaged learning and how well Hendrix prepares students for successful careers
and lives after they graduate,” Arnold said. “Students are drawn to Hendrix for
the opportunity to learn and grow in a community that is devoted to teaching
and mentoring undergraduate students and will prepare them for success after
graduation.
“In every sense, the progress of Hendrix over the past two
and half years would not be possible without the commitment, dedication, and
shared sense of purpose among our alumni, Board of Trustees, donors, faculty, and staff to provide the very best experience for our
students,” he said.
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.