CONWAY, Ark. (January 5, 2016) – Hendrix College will co-host the 2016 Arkansas Rwanda Scholars Conference with Bridge2Rwanda, the Clinton School of Public Service, Heifer International, Westrock Coffee, and Winrock International this week at the Heifer Global Village in Little Rock.
The main purpose of the conference is to connect Rwandan Presidential Scholars to governmental, nonprofit, private sector and academic leaders as the students strategize about how best to prepare to contribute to Rwanda’s development as they complete
their U.S. undergraduate degrees and return home. The conference will also celebrate the Arkansas-Rwanda connection; Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and members of the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission will attend a conference reception as they explore a sister-city relationship with Kigali, the capital
of Rwanda.
Hendrix President Bill Tsutsui, Hendrix College Board of Trustees Chair David Knight, and Dr. Peter Gess, Director of the Hendrix Odyssey and International Programs, will participate, along with Bridge2Rwanda Founder and CEO Dale Dawson, Heifer International CFO Bob Bloom,
and Winrock CEO Rodney Ferguson.
Rwandan government officials, including, Hon. Professor Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda Ambassador to the United States. Hon. Dr. Musafiri Papias Malimba, Minister of Education, and Hon. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and Information and Communications Technology, will also take part in the program.
Other program participants include Heifer International’s Rwanda Country Director Charles Kayumba, Tyson Foods CEO Donnie Smith, Westrock Coffee/Rwanda Trading Co. Founder Scott Ford, Winrock International Senior Director Amanda Hilligas, and Winrock
International Senior Associate Henk Knipscheer.
The program will feature a panel discussion between young alumni of the
Rwanda Presidential Scholars.
Hendrix is the founding member of a consortium of 18 U.S. colleges and universities that work with the Rwandan government to provide four year, undergraduate scholarships to a select group of Rwanda’s best and brightest students. As project coordinator for the
consortium, Hendrix is principally responsible for obtaining scholarship commitments, overseeing the student selection process, and administering the financial aspects of the program. The
first four student participants graduated from Hendrix in May 2011.
“This conference is unique based simply upon the incredibly diversity of conference sponsors, a who’s who of international engagement in central Arkansas. What a great demonstration of commitment to the future leaders of Rwanda,” said Dr. Gess. “I am most excited
that Rwandan students and current Rwandan leaders will get a chance to talk to each other, and to learn from each other, as they together strategize opportunities for Rwandan development. Our goal is for each of the eighty or so students to leave with a concrete action plan, listing steps they will take, as
they prepare to return to Rwanda.”
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.