CONWAY, Ark. (October 29, 2015) – Hendrix College has received a $1 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The grant will support the construction of the Mary Ann and David Dawkins Welcome Center at the northeast entrance to campus. The new Welcome Center will house the Hendrix Admission and Financial Aid offices, which are currently located in historic Ellis Hall, a 101-year old building at the south entrance of campus.
The new center honors the extraordinary generosity of Mary Ann and David Dawkins. Earlier this fall, Hendrix received a $26 million gift from Mary Ann Dawkins’ estate to support scholarships, promote college affordability and launch the College’s fundraising effort for the new welcome center.
Hendrix has now raised $4 million in gifts and pledges toward the new center’s $7 million total cost. The Mabee Foundation will award $1 million to complete the project if Hendrix raises an additional $2 million in new gifts and pledges by September 2016.
“We are so grateful to the Mabee Foundation for their longstanding support of capital projects at Hendrix from the Student Life and Technology Center to the Wellness and Athletics Center,” said Hendrix President Bill Tsutsui. “Our growth and strength as an institution is a direct result of the Mabee Foundation’s generosity and commitment to the residential college experience.”
“With the new Welcome Center, we will roll out the ‘orange’ carpet for future Hendrix students and their families,” Tsutsui said. “Our guests should be as excited about their first visit to Hendrix as our freshmen are when they move in … and as our alumni are when they reunite with classmates 50 years after graduation.”
In addition to the new Welcome Center, the metal pedestrian bridge that has spanned Harkrider Street for decades will be refurbished and upgraded to complement the historic architecture of the Hendrix campus as well as the new Welcome Center. The revitalized bridge will better connect academic, residential, student life, and wellness and athletics facilities between the east and west sides of campus, Tsutsui added.
The project is anticipated to begin in late 2016, following the completion of the Mabee Challenge.
To support the Mabee Challenge, contact Rev. J. Wayne Clark in the Office of Development at 501-450-4574 or clark@hendrix.edu.
About Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.