(Conway, Arkansas)—Timothy Purkiss, former director of event services and summer programs at Hendrix College, has been hired as Hendrix-Murphy Foundation assistant director after the retirement of Assistant Director Sarah Engeler-Young in August.
“We are incredibly excited to have Tim join the Hendrix-Murphy team,” said Dr. Tyrone Jaeger, Hendrix-Murphy Foundation interim director and professor of English-Creative Writing.
Hendrix is home for Purkiss after being on staff at the College since 2015. Most recently he was the director of event services and summer programs where he led strategic initiatives to increase event-related revenue by 900% on campus. During his tenure he played a key role in coordinating several signature events for the College such as Farmer and Makers Market at the Hendrix Village, Commencement, Honors Convocation, and the Hendrix Solar Odyssey event.
He also co-created the Hendrix Spirit Store, located in the Student Life and Technology Center, in 2019.
In 2022, Purkiss co-created the Life Launch program at Hendrix—a residential summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Life Launch focused on college application prep, career discernment, and finding personal purpose.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Purkiss was Hendrix’s contact tracing and testing coordinator—no small task for a campus of over 1,000. No scheduled athletic events were canceled because of the pandemic—a significant marker of the Hendrix COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Testing team success.
“Tim is a beloved figure on the Hendrix campus, and his knowledge of how Hendrix works ‘under the hood’ cannot be understated,” said Jaeger. “Departing Assistant Director Sarah ‘the Oracle’ Engeler-Young dubbed Tim ‘the Wizard,’ and if you see Tim’s qualities, you’ll understand why.”
What brought Purkiss to Hendrix in 2015 was the administrative manager position with the Arkansas Governor’s School. While over the program, he developed a student recruitment initiative targeting students from underrepresented areas in the state that resulted in an increase from 51% to 77% of Arkansas counties represented in only a two-year span.
Growing up in Arkansas’s capital city, Purkiss graduated from Joe T. Robinson High School in 2004.
A member of the Schedler Honors College, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Arkansas in 2008 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in interdisciplinary studies.
Purkiss served for three years as staff representative to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees. He was awarded the Hendrix “Indi” award—an annual award given to a staff member who “by their service, has proven to be an indispensable member of, and contributor to the Hendrix Community;” the Hendrix Meritorious Service award—an annual award given to a team of staff who collaborate on a campus-wide project or initiative, and mentors first-generation college students; and the Helen S. Plotkin award for Team Excellence for his leadership during the Hendrix Solar Odyssey event.
He has served on the Board of Directors for Milestone Services, Inc. in Conway, a developmental preschool that provides early intervention for children with delays, since 2022.
“I am excited to be back home at Hendrix,” said Purkiss. “It’s a community that I love and I’m thrilled to join the staff of the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation. The Foundation has a long history of supporting programs in literature and language, and I am honored to support its mission. I look forward to working closely with students, faculty, and staff to enhance the study of literature and language at Hendrix.”
Purkiss lives in Conway with his wife Morgan, a Therapy Manager at EasterSeals of Arkansas, and their two daughters Sophie and Emory, who are competitive dancers.
About the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation
The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language were founded in 1978 by a gift from Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation, in memory of his mother Bertie Wilson Murphy. Their mission is to enhance and enrich the study of literature and language at Hendrix College. For more information, visit hendrixmurphy.org.
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 hendrix.edu.