Photo by Timothy Hursley
CONWAY, Ark. (September 13, 2021) — Hendrix
College is among the country’s top liberal arts colleges cited for academic
excellence, innovation, and undergraduate teaching in this year’s U.S. News
& World Report 2022 Best Colleges ranking.
“We are pleased to see Hendrix continue to be recognized
among the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions,” said Hendrix President
Ellis Arnold, noting that the College was cited among Most Innovative Schools
(#36) and Undergraduate Teaching (#64) in the National Liberal Arts category
and is the state’s highest ranked school in this category (#98).
“Our national recognition affirms both the quality and value of
our academic program and the transformational experience students have working
closely with professors who are dedicated to teaching and mentoring,” Arnold
said.
In
other national recognition, Hendrix recently ranked #82 in the Washington
Monthly 2021 Liberal Arts Colleges rankings.
Earlier
this year, the College was listed #49 best liberal arts college in
America by Stacker, which used Niche’s 2021 rankings that
assess colleges with factors including academics, admissions, financial aid,
and student life. Hendrix was #11 on Niche’s 25 Colleges with the Best Food.
The
College is also featured in Princeton Review’s 2022 Best Colleges and is
the only private institution in Arkansas featured in the Fiske Guide to
Colleges 2022.
Interest in Hendrix from prospective students has never been
higher, Arnold said. This year, Hendrix received a record high of 2,445
applicants. Hendrix saw an increase in total and
new student enrollment for 2021-22 academic year. After Census Day (Tuesday,
September 7, the 10th day of fall classes), the College’s total
enrollment stood at 1,120 students, compared to 1,076 during the 2020-21 academic
year. New student enrollment increased for the second consecutive year. Hendrix
welcomed 332 new members of the Class of 2025 to campus last month, compared to
324 students a year ago when the College held its fall 2020 semester remotely.
This year’s new student enrollment is the highest in four years. Members of the new class come from 27
states in the U.S., along with six other countries: Mexico, Portugal, Rwanda,
Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Hendrix began the academic year
safely amid COVID-19 in central Arkansas, with a campus vaccination rate of 90%
among students, staff, and faculty, and pandemic protocols such as surveillance
testing and indoor masking requirements in place.
The Fall 2021 semester comes on the heels of a successful
fundraising year, including $22 million in new gifts and pledges for A
Time to Lead, the College’s $150 million campaign. The campaign now stands
at $133 million. Last fiscal year was one of the most successful fundraising
years in Hendrix’s history, second only to 2015, the year that the College
recorded the $26 million Dawkins estate gift.
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.