Colgate University President Jeffrey Herbst announced the selection of Douglas A. Hicks as provost and dean of the faculty, effective July 1, 2012. Hicks also will serve as professor of religion.

Hicks has spent the past 13 years at the University of Richmond, where he currently serves as professor of leadership studies and religion in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. He is the author of four books, including With God on All Sides: Leadership in a Devout and Diverse America (Oxford University Press, 2009) and Religion and the Workplace (Cambridge University Press, 2003). He has been published widely on academic presses and contributes OpEd articles on issues of religion and public life to the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal and other newspapers.

“Doug Hicks has distinguished himself as an outstanding scholar, teacher, and leader,” said Herbst. “He will be a critical contributor as we advance our ambitious academic and institutional vision to maintain high educational standards while growing ever more diverse, accessible, technological, and international. His background and intellect will be invaluable.”


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Hicks graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in 1990 with honors in economics. He earned an MDiv from Duke University, and went on to earn MA and PhD degrees from Harvard University’s program in the study of religion, with a specialization in religion, ethics, and economics. He studied in 1997-1998 as an exchange scholar in Yale University’s department of religious studies. He also served on the Board of Trustees at Duke.

At the University of Richmond, Hicks was deeply involved in faculty and university governance. At various times during his tenure, he served as chair of the faculty committee on committees and of the university faculty council. He was a member of the strategic plan steering committee, provost advisory committee, and university budget committee. He was the founding director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and led the development and opening of the University of Richmond downtown initiative.

In 2006 Hicks was selected for the Distinguished Educator Award at the University of Richmond, and he is a 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, the highest faculty recognition given by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In assuming Colgate’s top academic post, Hicks will succeed Bruce Selleck, interim provost and dean of the faculty. Selleck, who graduated from Colgate in 1971 and joined the faculty in 1974, will continue in his role as Harold Orville Whitnall Professor of geology.

Hicks joins Colgate along with his wife Catherine Bagwell, PhD, a highly accomplished scholar with a specialty in child and developmental psychology. Presently serving as MacEldin Trawick Professor in psychology at Richmond, she will be appointed professor of psychology at Colgate. They will reside in Hamilton with their two children, Noah and Ada.

“I have long admired Colgate as a special place with a grand mission grounded in the liberal arts,” Hicks said. “I look forward to working alongside new colleagues in the faculty and across campus to build on its remarkable tradition of excellence. Catherine and I are delighted to be joining the Colgate and Hamilton communities.”

University of Richmond provost and vice president for academic affairs Steve Allred said, “I have worked closely with Doug Hicks since I came to Richmond and have always valued his leadership. He and Catherine are outstanding teacher-scholars dedicated to their students and exemplars of service to the university.”

Sandra Peart, dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, said, “Doug Hicks stimulates the moral imagination of our students and his colleagues. His scholarship and teaching rest at several intersections: he is equally at home in religious studies and political economy; as a professor he writes scholarly articles and books for his peers but also for the wider public; and his passion for serving students has led him to take on leadership and administrative roles while he continues to excite students in the classroom. In short, Doug has achieved a profound influence on our students, our curriculum, and on the scholarship of leadership.”

Doug Johnson, associate professor of psychology, led the Colgate search committee. “Doug’s academic and leadership background lines up especially well with Colgate’s needs,” said Johnson, who has served as associate dean of the faculty from 2007-2010, and is now Colgate’s representative to the Patriot League Policy Committee. “He has had a passion for academic excellence in the liberal arts, and his Division I experience has shown him what it means for true scholar-athletes to compete at the highest level. We are excited about welcoming Doug, Catherine, and his family to Colgate and Hamilton.”

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