CONWAY,
Ark. (May 17, 2014) – Hendrix said goodbye to 311 members of the Class of 2014
at the College’s 130th Commencement this weekend at the Wellness and
Athletic Center.
Read
the full list of 2014 Hendrix graduates here.
“As
the newest alumni of Hendrix College, the Class of 2014 joins a distinguished
group of individuals around the globe who have made the world a better place
for 138 years,” said Acting President W. Ellis Arnold III. “Now, as all of you
go out into the world to begin your life’s Odyssey, you will carry with you the
Hendrix tradition of excellence and the College’s commitment to service. You
will be our ambassadors to the world, living examples of the difference that
liberal arts education can make in one’s life.”
“In
addition to the outstanding liberal arts education that Hendrix has given you,
whether you know it right now or not, Hendrix has also given you everything you
need to make the most of your education and your lives,” said Hendrix Board of
Trustees member Roger King, a 1976 graduate of Hendrix and a parent of a member
of the class of 2014. “Hendrix graduates have the ability to think, the
judgment to tell right from wrong, and the passion and skills to effect change …
now you are prepared to enter the larger world and make those connections that
others miss, and when you do, you’ll change history.”
Hendrix
Provost Dr. Robert L. Entzminger recognized retiring faculty: Dr. Joe Lombardi,
Professor of Biology, a Hendrix faculty member since 1980, and Hendrix Choir
Director Dr. Nancy Fleming and Professor Ansley Fleming, who came to Hendrix in
1986.
Hendrix
Board of Trustees member Madison Murphy, a 1980 Hendrix graduate and chair of
Murphy USA, was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Murphy
served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2011. In addition to
his service to Hendrix, Murphy has served on numerous civic, arts, and business
boards in Arkansas and in his hometown of El Dorado, Ark. He was a longtime
member of the Arkansas State Highway Commission and served as chairman of the
Arkansas Citizens Commission to Streamline State Government.
“You
have chosen to both attend and have had the fortitude and perseverance to
graduate from Hendrix College, a fabulous institution that, unlike many others,
has chosen to adhere to the path of being a liberal arts college … It sows the
seeds to cultivate and enable you to grow in the field of ethical,
intellectual, creative, communicative and social qualities that are absolutely
necessary, indeed, essential for leadership,” Murphy said.
Founded in
1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences
education. For the sixth consecutive year, Hendrix was named one of the
country’s “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix
is featured in the latest edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges, as well as the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, Forbes magazine's
list of America's Top Colleges, and
the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist
Church since 1884. For
more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.