The last time the institution now known as Henderson State University faced a crisis as large as the one it now faces was 1929. The school was founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College. The name was changed in 1904 to Henderson College in honor of benefactor Charles Christopher Henderson. It was changed again to Henderson-Brown College in 1911 to honor another benefactor, Walter William Brown.
After 39 years of Methodist control, the church decided to pull the plug on Henderson-Brown.
"By 1929, enrollment stood at 153, a drop of 50 from just the year before," writes Henderson historian David Sesser. "The Little Rock Conference of the Methodist Church decided after much debate to consolidate Henderson-Brown College and Hendrix College and create one co-educational institution of higher learning in Little Rock. The move to Little Rock never occurred. Hendrix remained in Conway.
"The student body of Henderson-Brown strongly opposed the merger, as did most of the administration and public. After negotiations with state lawmakers, it was decided to turn control of Henderson-Brown over to the state rather than close its doors. Thus in 1929 the institution became known as Henderson State Teachers College. The name of Hendrix was changed to Hendrix-Henderson College and remained so for about two years before once again becoming Hendrix College."
Henderson's current financial problems have been documented by this newspaper and other media outlets. In October 2019, the Henderson Board of Trustees voted unanimously to merge with the Arkansas State University System. The system, whose president was once Henderson's president, agreed that the school could retain its name.
ASU President Chuck Welch came to love Henderson after becoming one of the youngest university presidents in the country in 2008. Welch left Henderson when he was chosen to lead the ASU System in November 2010.
Welch now has help when it comes to saving Henderson. Chuck Ambrose became the school's chancellor in November. Ambrose previously served as president and CEO of KnowledgeWorks, a national foundation focused on the future of education. He received national attention for the job he did as president of the University of Central Missouri from 2010-18 and of Pfeiffer University in North Carolina from 1998-2010.
"Chuck Ambrose was universally liked and admired by students, faculty and the community of Warrensburg," says former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon. "I saw firsthand how his leadership delivered results and got folks working together."
Now, Ambrose is attracting national attention yet again, including from Forbes.
"He knew the school faced several years of financial challenges," Michael Nietzel writes for Forbes. "Just how severe that trouble was became more clear ... when on Feb. 3, Ambrose sent a letter to the university community indicating that he planned to begin the process of declaring the university to be in a state of financial exigency.
"Declaring financial exigency is one of the most serious steps a financially strapped college can take, and it's typically used only by institutions facing such imminent and severe financial circumstances that their overall survival is threatened. The American Association of University Professors has a policy, followed by most colleges, that tenured faculty members, the most valuable asset of any college, cannot be terminated as a way to lessen financial problems under any circumstances other than a declaration of exigency."
Nietzel is president emeritus of Missouri State University. He knows higher education better than most. He and others involved in higher education are watching what happens in Arkadelphia. They realize that Ambrose will spend a tough spring cutting programs and laying off faculty and staff. In essence, he must tear Henderson down before he can build the school back up.
Welch is convinced he has the right man for the job. He describes Ambrose as "a nationally renowned educator and innovator" who has vast experience "creating efficient and sustainable universities that are focused on student success. His former colleagues note how he knows every student by name. He's exactly the kind of experienced, visionary leader that we hoped to attract and that Henderson deserves at this critical time in its history."
During his first year at Central Missouri, Ambrose began implementing what was known as the Strategic Governance for Student Success Model. The plan was designed to cut operational costs while putting an intense focus on students.
In partnership with the Lumina Foundation, Ambrose instituted the Missouri Innovation Campus, using a new model for curriculum development and competency-based learning. He established public-private partnerships that lowered the cost of a degree and eliminated the use of student loan debt.
Ambrose received the Missouri Governor's Economic Development Advancement Award as a result of his efforts at Central Missouri.
"If financial exigency--as difficult and traumatic as it is--can help Henderson serve our students better, it might encourage other colleges facing similar challenges to use it productively as well," he tells Forbes. "If reimagining Henderson can help us reimagine college in ways that work for all students, then all of these efforts will be worthwhile.
"It's clear in our case that the new business model for higher education will be defined by how successful our students are at completing college and how well their degree prepares them for both life and work."
Senior Editor Rex Nelson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.