Page 6 - Spirit of Conway July 2016

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016
SPIRIT OF CONWAY • RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRATGAZETTE
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Conway mayor Tab Townsell and Altus Mayor Veronica Post pose in front of a Hendrix College sign. During the 125th anniversary event,Post gaveTownsell a“citation”for“theft of a college.”
EDUCATION
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HENDRIX COLLEGE
In April, Hendrix College celebrated the 125th anniversary of the institution’s move to Conway, a change that President BillTsutsui said was crucial to the college’s success.
Central Institute, as it was called, was founded in 1876inAltusbytheRev.IshamBurrow.Theschool changed its name in 1881 to the Central Collegiate Institute, and was renamed Hendrix College in 1889 in honor of Bishop Eugene Russell Hendrix. In 1890, the school moved from Altus to Conway in search of bigger goals.
“Hendrix arrived in Conway with five faculty members, 158 students, 500 books and some scientific equipment, maps, charts and a globe,” Tsutsui said. “Today, we have 107 full-time facul- ty, about 1,340 students from 36 states and 28 countries,200,000volumesinourlibrary,andtwo buildings devoted to the sciences and technology that can connect us with colleagues on the other side of the world in an instant.”
Tsutsui added that along with the change in scenery,asitexperiencedtremendousgrowth,the school boosted the economy of the area.
“Hendrix is an important part of Conway’s economy. Our annual payroll is around $21.5 mil- lion,” he said. “Local spending by faculty and staff is estimated at $10.8 million, and students and their families spend about $4.5 million in Conway each year. Nearly 40,000 visitors came to Conway
last year for Hendrix athletic and cultural events and to participate in Hendrix activities.”
Helen Plotkin, vice president for marketing communications for Hendrix, said the move was a watershed moment in the college’s history, and the president at the time had big dreams for the school.
“Hendrix President A.C. Millar believed that the college wouldn’t reach its full potential unless it was closer to the center of the state,” she said. “The first step on our journey to becoming one ofthetop100liberalartscollegesinAmericawas the decision to move from a beautiful, but remote, corner of Arkansas to Conway.”
The official celebration was held in April as par t of the school’s Alumni Weekend. The event was celebrated with speeches and music per- formed by student ensembles, a short play based on the move written by a Hendrix theater pro- fessor, and a historic tour of campus.
Plotkin said one of the major highlights during the celebration was when Altus Mayor Veronica Post gave Conway Mayor Tab Townsell a “citation,” charging him with “theft of a college.” Plotkin also said Drew Linder, a member of the class of 1983 and chairman of the Hendrix Alumni Association Board of Governors, arrived at the ceremony in Reves Recital Hall after riding his bicycle from Altus in commemoration of the move.
Hendrix hasn’t rested on its laurels for a minute.
Construction started this month on the $7 million Mary Ann and David Dawkins Welcome Center at the northeast entrance to campus. The center will house the Hendrix admission and financial-aid offices. Hendrix received a $26 million