CONWAY, Ark. (April 17, 2019) – Hendrix College will award the
honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to David A. Knight ’71 at the 135th
Hendrix College Commencement, which will take place Saturday, May 11, at 9 a.m.
in the Wellness and Athletic Center Event Gym. Knight will also deliver the
Commencement Address.
Overflow seating will be available in the Recreation Gym, where
the ceremony will be telecast. The Class of 2019 will also process and recess
through the Recreation Gym.
Immediately following commencement, there will be a faculty
reception for graduates in the Young-Wise Memorial Stadium Plaza (or in the
Recreation Gym in the event of rain).
For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu/commencement.
About David Knight
After majoring in English at Hendrix College, David Knight
served four years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, then earned a Master of
Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctor with
high honors from the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he was
Editor-in-Chief of the Arkansas Law Review. Following work with Judge J. Smith
Henley, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; the Office of
the General Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and the Rose Law
Firm, in 1988 he joined Stephens, Inc., where he continues to serve as
Executive Vice President and General Counsel.
Knight’s formal service to Hendrix College has spanned nearly
two decades. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2002, chaired the Board
from 2011-2017, and remains an active member. His contributions include
involvement in founding the Odyssey Program, in establishing the Village at
Hendrix, and instrumental work on the College’s pioneering participation in the
Rwandan Presidential Scholars program, which has expanded into a partnership of
a dozen U.S. colleges and universities with Bridge2Rwanda, an organization he
helped to establish and has served as a board member. His contributions to the
College also have included gifts to the Aspire Scholarship Program, with
specific support for students from KIPP Delta Collegiate High School.
His volunteer pursuits reflect his passion for education and the
arts, as well as for social justice. In his diligent efforts to improve his
local community and his native state, Knight has chaired the boards of The
Cathedral School, Arkansas Repertory Theater, and Arkansas Advocates for
Children and Families. An avid photographer, he has produced four books in
support of cultural and philanthropic organizations: Faith and Good Works in Africa; In
Character: a Season at the Rep; Young
Artists at the Rep; and Ballet
Arkansas Reflections.
In his service to the College and to the communities of
Arkansas, and through his efforts to further international cooperation and
understanding, David Knight claims his place among members of the Hendrix
community inspiring students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity,
service, and joy.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix
College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal
arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40
Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic
quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture
in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more,
visit www.hendrix.edu.