College surpasses $150 million goal for A Time to Lead
CONWAY, Ark. (November 17, 2022) — Hendrix College has successfully reached its $150 million fundraising goal for A Time to Lead, the largest campaign in its 146-year history. With $150.46 million in gifts and pledges raised to date, the College has surpassed the campaign’s goal a year ahead of its December 2023 deadline.
“We are so grateful to Hendrix alumni, donors, and friends for their enthusiastic endorsement and generous support of the priorities of this campaign,” said Hendrix College President Ellis Arnold. “Our success is a direct reflection of their strong belief in the mission of Hendrix and their love for the character, spirit, and traditions of the College.”
Watch the video announcement (below):
The $150 million goal for A Time to Lead included $30 million for the Hendrix Annual Fund, $84 million for the Hendrix endowment, and $36 million for capital projects.
“Together, in less than 24 months, we have significantly increased the College’s endowment, the engine that will drive the future success of this institution,” Arnold said. “We have also completed renovations of two historic residence halls (Martin and Veasey Halls), which opened to students this fall, along with numerous campus improvements and new programs that will enhance the academic and campus life experience of future generations of Hendrix students for years to come.”
Today’s announcement comes just two years after Hendrix received a $15 million gift from the Windgate Foundation, the largest outright gift in the College’s history, and expanded its previous $110 million campaign goal to $150 million after surpassing the original goal a year ahead of schedule.
The success of A Time to Lead builds on a period of positive forward momentum for Hendrix, Arnold said.
This fall, Hendrix College saw an increase in both total and new student enrollment for the third consecutive year. After receiving a record 2,801 applications for fall 2022, Hendrix welcomed 375 new students to campus in August, a 13% increase compared to a year ago. This year’s new student enrollment is the highest in seven years at Hendrix, with students from 23 states and multiple foreign countries. After Census Day (Wednesday, September 7, 2022, the 10th day of fall semester classes), the College’s total enrollment increased by 2% to 1,144 students from the 2021-22 academic year.
Hendrix College was recognized nationally for innovation and undergraduate teaching in this year’s U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Colleges rankings. In addition to appearing on a list of Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, Hendrix is #23 in Most Innovative Schools (an increase of 13 places from last year) and #55 in the Best Undergraduate Teaching (an increase of nine places from last year). In addition to the U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Colleges rankings, Hendrix is featured in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023, The Princeton Review, and Washington Monthly’s 2022 College Guide. Niche.com cites Hendrix among the 2023 Best Colleges in America, and College Consensus cites Hendrix in numerous categories, including Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, Best Private Colleges, Best Small Colleges, and 50 Underrated Colleges Doing Great Things.
“Our campaign success, enrollment growth, and growing national recognition speaks not only to the overall quality and value of the academic program at Hendrix, but also to the distinctiveness of our approach to engaged learning and how well Hendrix prepares students for successful careers and lives after they graduate,” Arnold said. “Students are drawn to Hendrix for the opportunity to learn and grow in a community that is devoted to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students and will prepare them for success after graduation.
“In every sense, the progress of Hendrix over the past two and half years would not be possible without the commitment, dedication, and shared sense of purpose among our alumni, Board of Trustees, donors, faculty, and staff to provide the very best experience for our students,” he said.
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