Knowledge-Based Company's Commitment to Liberal Arts

February 26, 1999

For Immediate Release
Contact: Helen Plotkin, Director of College Relations Office (501) 450-1225 FAX 450-3881 [email protected]
Hendrix news releases on-line at http://www.hendrix.edu/news

$2.8 million gift illustrates knowledge-based companyís commitment to liberal arts

CONWAY, ARK. - Acxiom Corporation and Charles D. Morgan, the companyís chairman of the board and leader, have made a $2.8 million donation to Hendrix College. Acxiom Corporation matched Charles D. Morganís campaign pledge of $1.4 million. This total gift, the third largest in the Collegeís history, was made to the Collegeís campaign for the sciences.

In honor of the donation, the new wing of the Physical Sciences Complex currently under construction at Hendrix will be called Acxiom Hall. The existing science building, which will be completely renovated and joined to the new construction by an atrium, will continue to be known as John Hugh Reynolds Hall. Together, the two buildings will be named the Charles D. Morgan Center for Physical Sciences.

The gift and naming of the building were announced during a ceremony near the construction site this morning.

ìWith this gift, Charles Morgan and Acxiom Corporation have made clear their commitment to the development of cutting-edge science facilities at Hendrix College,î said Dr. Ann H. Die, president of Hendrix. ìScience education in a liberal arts context is distinctive. The science programs at Hendrix have a national reputation for quality. We focus on undergraduate research as well as instruction in the traditional liberal arts. Our students excel in graduate programs and have made, and are making, significant contributions in research and scholarship. This generous gift moves us closer to providing the physical facilities that this caliber of program deserves and that future development of the Hendrix science programs demands.î

Charles D. Morgan, who is chair of the Hendrix Board of Trustees, said the gift represented a commitment to world-class computer science education in a context where students learn analytical, communication, creative and critical thinking skills.

ìI am pleased that Acxiom shares my personal commitment to the excellent academic program at Hendrix,î Morgan said. ìThe young people who thrive in the demanding academic program at Hendrix are the type of individuals who will thrive in companies like Acxiom, where we expect people to think critically, speak and write clearly, and understand the broader changing environment and their role in the world. Specific technical competencies are important, but they quickly become obsolete. What we need in the knowledge-based industry are lifelong learners who have the intellectual skills to recreate themselves in a changing global environment. Iím happy to be part of the future of Hendrix College, an institution that understands the reality of this changing, competitive world.î

Acxiom provides a wide spectrum of data products, data integration services, mailing list services, modeling and analysis, and information technology outsourcing services, as well as data warehousing and decision-support services to major U.S. and international firms. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Conway, Ark., with operations throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom, France and Spain. Acxiom was recently ranked 19th on Fortuneís list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Acxiom Hall is expected to open for the Fall 1999 term. The renovated John Hugh Reynolds Hall is expected to open for the Fall 2000 term. When all the work is complete, the Charles D. Morgan Center for the Physical Sciences will provide double the current amount of space for chemistry, mathematics and computer science, and physics at Hendrix.

Construction of the new physical sciences center is part of a wider program of campus renewal that also includes construction a new life sciences center.

ìHendrix has long been known for the strength of our science programs,î said Dr. John Churchill, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. ìWith these new buildings, we will have the physical facilities to support our research-based techniques in science education and to involve our students even more deeply with the latest technology. The design of the classrooms and laboratories will help us to maintain and enhance our tradition of excellence in classroom and one-on-one instruction.î

When the construction cycle is complete, all the natural sciences at Hendrix will be taught in new or renovated facilities.

Every Hendrix student is required to take at least three natural science courses to earn a degree. More than 35 percent of the Collegeís students major in the sciences and 60 percent of them continue to graduate school, with about 10 percent becoming physicians. About 600 Arkansas physicians ñ or approximately one in eight of the licensed physicians practicing in the state* ñ attended Hendrix as undergraduates.

According to statistics published by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Hendrix produces more science graduates, per 1,000 students, than any other institution in the state.

Hendrix is Arkansasí only national liberal arts college and is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South, which includes Rhodes College (Memphis, Tenn.), University of the South (Sewanee, Tenn.), Washington & Lee University (Lexington, Va.), and Davidson College (Davidson, N.C.), among others. Hendrix is a residential, co-educational college of the liberal arts founded in 1876 and related to the United Methodist Church since 1884. Hendrix has been part of the Conway community since 1890. -30-

*

The Arkansas State Medical Board says there are approximately 5,000 licensed physicians practicing in Arkansas.