CONWAY, Ark. (July 16, 2019)
– Three new members have been named to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees:
the Rev. Stephen Coburn ’81, the Rev. Mark Norman, and the Rev. Sara Cole Pair
’94. These United Methodist clergy will begin their three-year terms at the
Board’s October meeting.
Coburn, who currently serves
as district superintendent and chief mission strategist of the Northwest
District within the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix and a Master of Divinity degree from Iliff
School of Theology. The
Monticello native has served in pastor and associate pastor roles in churches
around the state, most recently as senior pastor of First United Methodist
Church of Springdale.
An avid photographer, Coburn
has recently begun selling prints of his photos to benefit 200,000 Reasons, the
Arkansas Conference’s statewide initiative to alleviate childhood hunger, which
the College also supports through activities associated with its Office of
Religious Life.
Norman currently serves as district
superintendent and chief mission strategist of the Southeast District within
the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. A graduate of Philander
Smith College, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees, he earned his
Master of Divinity degree at St. Paul School of Theology. His most recent congregation-level
appointment was as associate pastor of First United Methodist Church of Benton.
His involvement in the
denomination has included service on the United Methodist General Commission on
the Status and Role of Women, and serving as a delegate to the 2016, 2019, and
2020 General Conferences, having been the first-elected clergyperson to the
Arkansas delegation. Norman is a Little Rock native who lives in White Hall. His
daughter is a current Hendrix student.
Pair, who is originally from
Paragould, has served as pastor of Sequoyah United Methodist Church in
Fayetteville since 2010. After graduating from Hendrix, she earned her Master
of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, and went on to serve congregations in
Dallas, Fort Smith, Alma, and Conway before moving to Fayetteville.
She is a member of the Fayetteville
Ministerial Alliance, and has served the Arkansas Conference on the Board of
Ordained Ministry, Administrative Review Committee, Committee on Investigation,
Northwest District Board of Church Location, and as vice-chair of Conference
Board of Finance and Administration.
“We are looking forward to having
Stephen, Mark, and Sara share their time, abilities, and perspectives as
members of the Board,” said Bill Tsutsui, president of the College. “Their talents
will serve Hendrix well as we continue to provide an environment that
cultivates a spirit of inquiry and an eagerness for active learning that will extend
beyond students’ four years on campus.”
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.