Karen Petersen, current dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tulsa, will be the next president of Hendrix College.
Petersen will succeed W. Ellis Arnold III, who will become president emeritus following his retirement in June, according to the college. A 1979 Hendrix graduate, Arnold was chosen to be the 12th president of Hendrix by the college’s board of trustees Nov. 21, 2019, and took office on Dec. 31 of that year.
Petersen is a native of Huntsville in Northwest Arkansas. She will be the second woman to lead Hendrix — Ann H. Die Hasselmo served from 1992 to 2001 — and she was selected “following a comprehensive national search process” involving Hendrix alumni, board of trustees members, faculty, staff and students, according to the college. Petersen oversees her college’s financial, physical and human resources units, including 120 full-time employees in 13 departments. During her tenure, philanthropic giving to the college has increased, including a 47% increase in unrestricted giving.
She also helped to secure a significant unrestricted pledge for student recruiting, marketing and faculty support, as well as annual funding for a partnership with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra to provide educational opportunities for music students, according to the college. Under her stewardship, the university restored academic programs in philosophy and religion, as well as the Bachelor of Music degree.
Petersen is also a professor of political science at the private Oklahoma university.
During the search process, Petersen interacted with members of the board of trustees, as well as faculty, staff and students.
“Each person conveyed a genuine commitment to Hendrix College and an excitement about the future,” she said. “Based on those conversations, it is clear to me that the close relationships students develop with the faculty and staff at Hendrix serve as the foundation for their success as students and as alumni.
“I look forward to joining my new colleagues in Conway,” Petersen added. “Of course, I am also excited for the opportunity to contribute to the future of my home state and confident that Hendrix alumni will continue making vital contributions in Arkansas and beyond.”
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Karen Petersen join our community and lead Hendrix into a new era of planning and progress,” Jo Ann Biggs, chairperson of the Hendrix College board of trustees and of the Presidential Search Committee, said in a news release from the college. “I am confident that she will be a tremendous ambassador and leader for the Hendrix community.”
Petersen, 50, completed her undergraduate work at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. She worked there for 16 years, serving in three “progressively responsible leadership roles,” culminating with her tenure as dean of the College of Liberal Arts, the largest academic unit at Middle Tennessee State, according to Hendrix.
While in Murfreesboro, Tenn., she helped develop and carry out a comprehensive student success program, which doubled the four-year graduation rate and resulted in the retention of 88% of full-time undergraduates and 86% of Pell-eligible students in the College of Liberal Arts. Pell Grants are typically awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to undergraduates with exceptional financial needs and usually don’t need to be repaid.
“Not only does she bring successful experience in leading diverse, complex academic units, growing enrollment, improving student success, and securing support through fundraising and external partnerships, her passion for the transformative role of liberal arts education and her advocacy for the residential undergraduate liberal arts experience is inspiring,” Biggs — a Hendrix graduate — said in the college’s news release.
“She finds immense joy in engaging with undergraduate students and connecting the work of the campus with the broader community, and she cares deeply about diversity, effective teaching and shared governance.”
An advocate of engaged learning, Petersen and a colleague developed and led a study abroad program to Israel for seven years while at Middle Tennessee State, according to Hendrix. She also prepared students for prestigious international fellowship competitions, including successful Fulbright Fellowship recipients.
“I am honored and humbled to be selected as president of Hendrix College and look forward to serving alongside the caring and talented faculty, staff, and board members as we continue Hendrix’s commitment to the life-changing power of a liberal arts education,” Petersen said in a statement. “We are privileged to educate the young people upon whose shoulders the responsibility for our future rests, and I am dedicated to strengthening and preserving the residential liberal arts experience because it is the best preparation for life in a free society.”
Petersen earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., according to Hendrix. She and her husband, Joey Keasler — also a native Arkansan (Paragould, in the northeast part of the state) — have two children.
This isn’t the first time Petersen attempted to move back to her home state for a leading role at one of the state’s institutions of higher learning. Petersen was one of four finalists for the Arkansas State University chancellor job last year that ultimately went to Todd Shields, who was dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville before moving to Jonesboro to lead ASU.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. The private liberal arts college reported 2% enrollment growth in the fall, the third consecutive year increasing total and new student enrollment. The college added 24 students from the fall of 2021, for a total of 1,144.
After receiving a record 2,801 applications, Hendrix welcomed 375 new students to campus in the fall, a 13% increase from the previous year’s 332, according to the college. New student enrollment is the highest in seven years at Hendrix, the average new student GPA is 3.84, and their average ACT score is 28.
In the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, Hendrix was 23rd in the most innovative schools category, an increase of 13 places from the prior year, and 55th for best undergraduate teaching, which was up nine places from the year before. It was tied for 102nd in the national liberal arts colleges category.
Print Headline: New Hendrix College president announced
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