CONWAY, Ark. (April 29, 2015) – Hendrix College Chaplain Rev. J. Wayne Clark ’84 has been named Associate Vice President for Development and Dean of the Chapel.
“Wayne has served the college well as our Chaplain for 18 years and has developed great relations not only with our campus community but also our alumni and friends across the state and nation,” said W. Ellis Arnold III ’79, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Dean of Advancement.
Clark earned his bachelor’s degree from Hendrix in 1984 and received his master’s degree in 1989 from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Prior to his tenure as Hendrix Chaplain, he served as chaplain for Children’s Medical Center’s Hematology,
Oncology and Neurology Departments in Dallas; as minister of Halifax Methodist Circuit in Halifax, England; and associate minister of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. He has served Arkansas United Methodist Churches in Magnolia and Pine Bluff.
At Hendrix, Clark successfully directed the planning grant that led to a $2 million dollar grant from The Lilly Foundation to develop programs to assist students in the “theological exploration of vocation.” During the five-year grant, he successfully
helped secure an additional $1.5 million dollar grant to extend the original grant three years. Clark successfully worked to secure a $1 million dollar gift to continue the work and programming of the Lilly Foundation to be named the Miller Center for Vocation Ethics and Calling. He was instrumental in writing
and receiving a $500,000 five-year grant from The Lilly Foundation to establish a program for Clergy and Civic Engagement and in securing a $50,000 gift to endow the John and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop.
Clark started and supervised a United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) Leadership Scholarship program. More than 250 Hendrix students have participated in the program, which has motivated and mobilized students to lead worship services and preach in more than 400 United Methodist Churches throughout
Arkansas.
In his new role at Hendrix, Clark will be responsible for the Hendrix Annual Fund, planned giving, and major gifts, as well as provide leadership for Advancement Services.
“As a member of the Advancement Leadership Team since 2008, he has worked collaboratively with our overall Advancement efforts, and we are thrilled that he will now focus his efforts on development as we prepare for our next comprehensive campaign,” Arnold said.
"I am honored to be given this opportunity to serve my alma
mater in this new capacity and hope that I can continue to build strong relations with the United Methodist Church and alumni,” said Clark. “I have been enriched through my work with students, faculty, and staff and know this will continue in my new role. The students have truly been a blessing to me,
and I look forward to reconnecting with many of them.”
Associate Chaplain and Associate Director of the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics and Calling Rev. J.J. Whitney ’96 will serve as interim Hendrix Chaplain. She joined the Hendrix staff in 2002 as program coordinator for the Hendrix-Lilly Vocations Initiative. In
2005, she was awarded The Francis Asbury Award for Fostering United Methodist Ministries in Higher Education from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Whitney and Rev. Clark have helped more than 45 Hendrix students attend seminary.
About
Hendrix
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. This year, Hendrix was named the country’s #1 “Up and Coming” liberal arts college and #8 in the nation for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by U.S.
News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2015 Fiske Guide to Colleges, Forbesmagazine's list of America's Top Colleges, the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, and the latest edition of Colleges That Change
Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.