Friday, April 29, 2022
by Editorial Team
Davidson College Trustees today unanimously named religion scholar Douglas A. Hicks as the college’s 19th president. Hicks, Dean of Oxford College of Emory University, is a Davidson alum who earned a Harvard University doctorate degree and built a career of leadership roles in higher education that stretch from upstate New York to Georgia.
“Davidson changed my life,” Hicks said. “There, I grew up. I had the opportunity to learn in new ways, to meet students from across the country, to play varsity baseball in my first year, to study abroad in Madrid, to meet an incredible group of friends and to be challenged by wonderful teacher-mentors, whom I consider lifelong friends. I’m excited to return as president and even more excited about the future that we will build at Davidson.”
Hicks, 54, earned a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University and master’s and doctorate degrees in religion and economics at Harvard. He has written or edited nine books as well as articles for scholarly and public audiences. His teaching, in leadership studies and religion, began at the University of Richmond, where he later served as founding director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement. He moved to Colgate University to serve as provost and dean of the faculty, the university’s chief academic officer, before accepting the role of dean at Oxford in 2016.
Alison Hall Mauzé, chair of Davidson’s board of trustees, said Hicks brings an extraordinary combination of experience and skills to this moment in Davidson’s history.
“Doug learned and led at some of our nation’s top liberal arts colleges,” Mauzé said. “He began his teaching at one of the country’s first leadership schools and led the faculty at a prestigious university. As the Dean of Oxford College, at Emory, he has strengthened the sense of community and propelled initiatives that are in sync with Davidson’s priorities and collaborative work, including reckoning with historical ties to enslavement and creating new approaches to preparing students for careers in a complex and changing world. He understands where we are now and has charted a path ahead.”
Hicks will take office Aug. 1, 2022, succeeding Carol Quillen, who announced in August that she was stepping down after 11 years as president.