Inauguration of
Dr. Karen Petersen set for Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m.
CONWAY, Ark. (March 27, 2024) — Hendrix College will celebrate the inauguration of Dr.
Karen Petersen, the 13th president of the College, on Saturday, April 20, at 10
a.m., on the west lawn of Fausett and Ellis Halls. In case of rain, the
ceremony will be held in Staples Auditorium.
The inauguration ceremony
takes place during Alumni
Weekend 2024.
In connection with the
inauguration, there will be a panel discussion
titled “The Liberal Arts, Leadership, and the Greater Good” on Friday, April
19, at 2:30 p.m., in Mills C of the Mills Center for Social Sciences. The
program will feature Hendrix alumni leaders in politics, business, medicine,
and education, who will share their reflections on the past, present, and
future of the liberal arts and leadership in Arkansas. Panelists include Linda
Pondexter Chesterfield ’69 (politics), Mike Steely ’88 (business), Anna
Patterson Strong ’04 (medicine), and Ronnie Williams ’76 (education).
Co-moderators include Corissa Ross ’24, a history and politics major, and Associate
Professor of History Dr. Jonathan Hancock.
About President Petersen
Petersen was elected the
13th President of Hendrix College by the Hendrix College Board of Trustees in
January 2023. She took office on June 1, 2023, following the retirement of
President Emeritus W. Ellis Arnold ’79. She is the second woman to lead Hendrix
as President, following Dr. Ann H. Die Hasselmo, who served from 1992 to 2001.
A native of northwest
Arkansas, Petersen was selected following a comprehensive national search
process involving Hendrix alumni, Board of Trustees members, faculty, staff,
and students. She joined the Hendrix community from the University of Tulsa in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was a professor of political science and Dean of the
Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences.
Before joining the University of Tulsa,
Petersen served 16 years at her undergraduate alma mater Middle Tennessee State
University, a large regional comprehensive university in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee. In addition to being a faculty member, she served in three
progressively responsible leadership roles culminating with her tenure as Dean
of the College of Liberal Arts, the largest academic unit.
Petersen earned her master’s degree and
Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University. She and her husband,
Joey Keasler, a northeast Arkansas native, are parents of two children,
including a student-athlete at a residential liberal arts college.
About Hendrix College
Founded in 1876,
Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will
Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country’s
leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning
opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The
Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“…
Through engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to
diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community
inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and
joy.” —Hendrix College Statement of Purpose