Dr. Karen K. Petersen has been appointed as the 13th President of Hendrix College, beginning in June 2023. Petersen will succeed W. Ellis Arnold III ’79, who will become President Emeritus following his retirement in June.
Petersen, who was raised in Northwest Arkansas, is joining the Hendrix community from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she is a professor of political science and Dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences.
As Dean, Petersen oversees the college’s financial, physical and human resources, including 120 full-time employees in 13 departments. During her tenure, philanthropic giving to the college 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. Under Petersen’s leadership, TU restored academic programs in Philosophy and Religion and the Bachelor of Music degree.
Petersen previously served nearly 16 years at Middle Tennessee State, where she helped develop and implement 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. Her commitment to student success informed her work as a faculty member as well. She and a colleague also developed and led a study abroad program in Israel for seven years, as well as prepared students for prestigious international fellowship competitions.
“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,” Dr. Petersen said. “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.”
For more details on Petersen, visit Hendrix’s website.
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