Centers
and Programs

Five students smiling and talking as they sit on a blanket outside on a sunny day.

At Hendrix College, learning extends far beyond the classroom. Through our centers and special programs, students explore life’s biggest questions, engage with diverse perspectives, deepen their academic interests, and connect their education to meaningful work in the world. Whether discovering a vocation, examining religion and philosophy, or immersing themselves in literature and language, students find opportunities to pursue their passions while preparing for lives of purpose and impact.

Explore Hendrix Centers and Programs

Discover unique opportunities for intellectual exploration, personal growth, and experiential learning Via Hendrix.

Three students talk with an author at a book-signing event. A female student who is speaking gestures to the author who listens while smiling.

Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language

Since 1978, the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation has enriched the study of literature and language through distinguished visitors, creative writing programs, study-travel opportunities, internships, theatre experiences, language immersion programs, and community engagement projects. Students encounter ideas, cultures, and voices from around the world while developing their own stories and perspectives

Four volunteers paint an old white house while wearing masks.

Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling

The Miller Center helps students explore questions of purpose, meaning, service, and vocation. Rooted in both the liberal arts and Hendrix’s Methodist heritage, the Miller Center encourages students to connect their academic studies with ethical reflection, spiritual development, and lives of service. Through internships, service-learning experiences, ministry exploration, and community engagement, students gain a deeper understanding of who they are and how they can contribute to the world.

A female student wearing a backpack stares out the windows of an arched hallway while she leans on a banister.

Marshall T. Steel Center for the Study of Religion and Philosophy

The Steel Center promotes thoughtful engagement with religion, philosophy, and the enduring questions that shape human experience. Through lectures, discussions, conferences, workshops, and interfaith programming, students examine ideas from multiple perspectives while developing the habits of inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking that define a liberal arts education.

A crowd of more than a dozen students sit on the grass and on blankets at the back patio of the Bertie Wilson Murphy building, looking into the distance at a speaker who is not shown.

Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language

For nearly five decades, the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation has expanded opportunities for students to explore literature, language, storytelling, and cultural understanding. Through distinguished visitors, creative programs, study-travel experiences, internships, and language immersion opportunities, students discover new perspectives and develop skills that enrich both their academic and personal lives.

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The Foundation supports study-travel experiences, language programs, and study abroad opportunities that immerse students in different cultures and perspectives. Whether learning Spanish in Costa Rica, studying literature in Europe, or conducting independent travel projects, students engage directly with the languages and stories that shape our world.

Each year, the Foundation brings acclaimed writers, poets, playwrights, translators, scholars, and artists to campus. Through public readings, workshops, class visits, and small-group discussions, students gain access to nationally and internationally recognized voices while building connections that extend learning beyond the classroom.

Students interested in writing, theatre, publishing, and language studies find countless opportunities to develop their talents. From creative writing workshops and literary competitions to playwriting contests, theatre programs, and professional internships, the Foundation helps students transform their interests into meaningful experiences and future opportunities.

Through internships, community engagement projects, translation work, tutoring initiatives, and literary outreach programs, students apply their skills in real-world settings. These experiences demonstrate how language and storytelling can inform careers, strengthen communities, and foster deeper human connections.

A female student smiles while standing in front of the Hendrix fountain and the Staples Auditorium building on a sunny day.

Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling

The Miller Center helps students connect their education to a life of purpose. Through service, reflection, leadership development, and vocational exploration, students are encouraged to consider not only what they will do after graduation, but who they hope to become. The Center creates opportunities for students to engage with their communities, explore ethical questions, and discover meaningful ways to use their talents in service to others.

The Miller Center encourages students to ask life’s most important questions: What matters to me? How can I make a difference? Where do my passions meet the world’s needs? Through mentorship, retreats, workshops, and guided reflection, students develop a deeper understanding of their values, strengths, and aspirations.

Service is at the heart of the Miller Center experience. Students participate in local and global service-learning opportunities, volunteer initiatives, and community partnerships that help them better understand social challenges while building leadership skills and civic responsibility. Programs such as the Volunteer Action Committee and Service Scholars provide meaningful ways to make an impact both on and off campus.

Through internships, service-learning trips, ministry exploration, and vocational programming, students gain practical experience while reflecting on how those experiences shape their future goals. These opportunities help students connect classroom learning with personal growth, career aspirations, and a broader sense of purpose.

Eight students talk to each other beneath the trees of the Pecan Court at Hendrix College. Some stand while others sit on a large boulder.

Marshall T. Steel Center for the Study of Religion and Philosophy

The Steel Center invites students to engage with the ideas, beliefs, and questions that have shaped societies throughout history. Through conversations, lectures, conferences, and interfaith dialogue, the Center fosters intellectual curiosity and thoughtful exploration of religion, philosophy, ethics, and the human experience.

What makes a meaningful life? How should we live together? What can we know, and how do we know it? The Steel Center creates space for students to wrestle with enduring questions that transcend disciplines and encourage deeper thinking about the world around them.

Weekly discussions, reading groups, workshops, and academic events bring together students, faculty, and community members to explore topics ranging from philosophy and religion to politics, science, literature, and contemporary social issues. These conversations help students develop the skills of dialogue, inquiry, and critical analysis.

The Steel Center’s interfaith programming encourages students from diverse religious, spiritual, and philosophical backgrounds to learn from one another. By fostering respectful engagement and meaningful dialogue, students gain a greater appreciation for different viewpoints while strengthening their own understanding of the world.

Centers and Programs

Flip through these albums that feature events hosted by the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation, the Miller Center, and the Steel Center.

Thirteen students outside of the Alcazar of Segovia, a medieval fortress in Spain.
Hendrix in Madrid – From the medieval fortresses to incredible art museums, students can explore a vast array of programs here at Hendrix.
Nine people smile at the camera while standing outside of the Louvre Museum's Glass Pyramid in Paris, France.
Hendrix Tours – Students gain access to tours across the world! Hendrix offers many opportunities to explore research right where it happens.
Four people stand inside a well-lit room. One person smiles while pointing her finger to instruct the class.
Hendrix-Murphy Visiting Writer Caroline Randall Williams visit to Hendrix included reading her book of sonnets to inspire movement in Dance class, talked about her cookbook in Anthropology class, and rock & roll in poetry class.
One person stands at a podium in front of a tv in a dimly lit room.
A Steel Center Discussion focusing on diving deep into the study of theological, existential, and philosophical questions.
Nine people stand in line outside at a tabling event for the Hendrix Murphy Foundation.
Murphy House Open House – Students and their families are invited to learn more about the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation.
Major Jackson sits at a table smiling up at a person holding his book.
The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation hosted Major Jackson as a Hendrix-Murphy Visiting Poet. His award winning poems and essays have been published in AGNI, American Poetry Review, and several other publications.
Ten people sit in a circle in a well-lit room with a projector above them. One person stands up in the middle of the group.
Students and faculty gather to attend the Hendrix-Murphy Discussion with the Actors From The London Stage.
One person reads a paper to a class of peers outside in front of a brick-walled courtyard.
Hendrix honors the senior Creative Writing majors as the read from their Senior Theses.
Hendrix College Flickr

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