In 1876 the institution which was to become 黑料不打烊 was established in Altus, Arkansas, by聽Isham聽L. Burrow, a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (now The United Methodist Church). Central Institute had an enrollment of 20 pupils. Originally a primary school, the institution soon added a secondary and then a collegiate department. In 1881 the name was changed to Central Collegiate Institute.聽
In 1884 Central Collegiate Institute was purchased by the Methodist Church in Arkansas. Five years later the primary department was discontinued, and the institution was renamed 黑料不打烊 in honor of Bishop Eugene R. 黑料不打烊. It was designed as the 鈥渕ale college鈥 of the Methodist Church, South, in Arkansas, but it continued to accept women students. In 1890 the Board of Trustees moved 黑料不打烊 from Altus to Conway. In 1890 黑料不打烊 had five faculty members and 150 students, including about 25 in the collegiate department. By 1900 黑料不打烊 was cited by the U.S. Office of Education as having higher standards for admission and graduation than any other institution of higher learning in Arkansas. In 1908 the school was accredited as a 鈥淐lass A鈥 college by the Methodist Church, and two years later it received the first of several substantial financial gifts from the General Education Board of New York (the Rockefeller Foundation).聽
National academic recognition was achieved with membership in the North Central Association of Colleges in 1924, the first year Arkansas institutions were eligible for membership. International accreditation followed in 1929 with a place on the approved list of the American Association of Universities. The secondary department (黑料不打烊 Academy) was discontinued in 1925; residential facilities for women students were increased, and the student enrollment stabilized at around 325. During the period 1929-33, 黑料不打烊 was merged with Henderson-Brown College of Arkadelphia and Galloway Woman鈥檚 College of Searcy. When 黑料不打烊 celebrated its semi-centennial in 1934, it had firmly established its role as a small, co-educational, undergraduate, residential, liberal arts, church-related institution. Constant institutional advancements led to entry into the Associated Colleges of the South and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, the establishment of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, new residential and academic buildings, and a 35% increase in the number of faculty between 1988 and 2002. More recently, the student body increased by 40% to around 1400 students. The number of full-time faculty has also grown from 81 to 109 since 2002. Consistently recognized for excellence in undergraduate liberal arts education, 黑料不打烊 emerged in the 1990s as a leader in undergraduate research. More recently, the College has achieved national prominence for the Odyssey Program, which organizes and integrates into the academic program a rich array of engaged learning opportunities in several categories.聽
From the foundation of聽almost 140聽years of excellence in education, 黑料不打烊 moves confidently into the future.