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Goodbye, Class of 2014!

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.