Henderson State University

Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.[5] Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College,[6] it is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.[6] Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 3,000 students. The campus is located on 156 acres (0.63 km2).[7]

Henderson State University
Former name
Arkadelphia Methodist College
TypePublic university
Established1890 (1890)
Parent institution
Arkansas State University System
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
ChancellorCharles Ambrose
ProvostJames Hunt (interim)[1]
Administrative staff
186[2]
Undergraduates2544[3]
Postgraduates557[3]
Location
Arkadelphia
,
Arkansas
,
United States
CampusRural 151 acres (0.61 km2)
ColorsRed and Gray[4]
   
NicknameReddies
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II –GAC
Websitewww.hsu.edu

History
School Names
Arkadelphia Methodist College1890–1904
Henderson College1904–1911
Henderson-Brown College1911–1929
Henderson State Teachers College1929–1967
Henderson State College1967–1975
Henderson State University1975–present
Source:[8]

The university was renamed for Charles Christopher Henderson, a Trustee and prominent Arkadelphia businessman,[9] in 1904.

Glen Jones years & subsequent financial crisis

Glendell Jones Jr. was named Henderson State University's 17th president on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 and officially assumed presidential duties on July 1, 2012. Jones' tenure as president was rocked by a series of scandals and bad publicity, and he and his senior leadership were twice the subject of no-confidence votes by the faculty. When the true scope of the university's budget crisis became public in July 2019, he was asked to resign. He currently serves as an assistant to the president of Georgetown University.

Jones—as well as several other current and former administrators, staff, and members of the Board of Trustees—were called to testify before the Arkansas legislature in 2020 as part of the state's effort to understand the university's staggering financial collapse.

Following Jones' resignation, then-general counsel Elaine Kneebone was named acting president. She was replaced by (Interim) President/Chancellor Jim Borsig, who resigned in early 2021 citing health concerns. Chuck Ambrose was hired in November 2021 as the first permanent head of the institution in over two years.

In January 2022, the university, facing over $12 million in debt, declared financial exigency and announced plans to begin cuts to personnel and programs in an effort to "right-size" the university and avert the university's closure.[10]

On October 24, 2019, the Henderson State Board of Trustees voted unanimously to join the Arkansas State University System based in Little Rock, Arkansas.[11]

On May 2, 2022, 37% of faculty received phone calls from the Chancellor's office that their positions had been terminated. 12 departments were excised entirely, eliminating many degree programs. Students and faculty protested the sweeping changes, and on May 4, the Faculty Senate voted no confidence in the administration.[12][13][14]

2019 campus methamphetamine synthesis incident

In October 2019, police responded to a campus chemistry laboratory at the Reynolds Science Center following concerns of chemical odors resulting in the building's closure for several weeks. Initial investigation found elevated levels of benzyl chloride and subsequently found methamphetamine residues. Two chemistry professors who were described as having been acting awkwardly were arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine.[15][16][17]

Arkansas Hall
Donald W. Reynolds Science Center
Baseball player Andrew Reynolds in 2014

Athletics
Main article: Henderson State Reddies

Henderson State athletic teams are the Reddies. The university is a member in the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great American Conference since the 2011–12 academic year. The Reddies previously competed in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) from 1993–94 to 2010–11; as well as the defunct Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1930–31 to 1992–93.

Henderson State sponsors in 12 intercollegiate sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf and swimming & diving; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball. The university also has a co-ed cheer and pom squad.

Football
Main article: Henderson State Reddies football

The university's football team's home games are played at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia.[18] Henderson State shares the longest rivalry in Division II football with Ouachita Baptist University Tigers, the Battle of the Ravine, which began in 1895. Gus Malzahn, who played wide receiver for the Reddies, is one of their most famous alumni.

Notable alumni
On campus at Henderson State University


References
  1. "FACULTY & STAFF DIRECTORY". Henderson State University. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. "Office of Institutional Research | University of Arkansas". University of Arkansas. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  3. "College Navigator - Henderson State University". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  4. "Henderson State University Visual Identity and Brand Standards". Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  5. "GetReddie for Henderson". Henderson State University. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  6. "Henderson State University – Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  7. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/henderson-state-university-1098
  8. "HSU Website". Henderson State University. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  9. "Captain Charles C. Henderson House, Arkadelphia, Clark Country". Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  10. "President Glen Jones". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  11. Walkenhorst, Emily (25 October 2019). "HSU trustees OK beginning merger with ASU System". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. WEHCO Media, Inc. ISSN 1060-4332. LCCN 2019271069. OCLC 980986607. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  12. Zeringue, Neale (4 May 2022) [2022-05-03]. "Faculty and students opposing Henderson State budget cuts plan". KARK-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  13. Nietzel, Michael T. (4 May 2022). "Henderson State University's Financial Exigency To Include Deep Faculty And Academic Program Cuts". Education. Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. LCCN sf86091533. OCLC 1088420850. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  14. Counts, Chris (4 May 2022). "Henderson State Faculty Senate vote "no confidence" in administration after budget cuts released". KARK-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  15. Bote, Joshua (19 November 2019) [2019-11-18]. "Chemistry professors charged with making meth in school lab after report of strange odor". USA Today. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022. "Initial testing indicated an elevated presence of benzyl chloride in a laboratory," Hall told USA TODAY. Benzyl chloride is classified as an "extremely dangerous substance" by the U.S. government and is sometimes used in the manufacturing of amphetamines.
  16. Halford, Bethany (7 February 2020). "Ex-Henderson State University professors plead not guilty to making methamphetamine". Chemical & Engineering News. eISSN 1520-605X. ISSN 0009-2347. LCCN a41002413. OCLC 567617114. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022. Terry David Bateman and Bradley Allen Rowland, the two former Henderson State University chemistry professors who were arrested in November for allegedly making methamphetamine, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Feb. 4. The chemists are formally charged with making methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia for making methamphetamine, possession of the methamphetamine precursor phenylpropanolamine, and manufacture of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone (the university).
  17. Diaz, Johnny (November 17, 2019). "2 Arkansas Chemistry Professors Face Charges of Making Meth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  18. "Henderson State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  19. "Office of the President: About Bob Fisher". Belmont University. Retrieved October 12, 2017.

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