Carol Quillen named 18th president of Davidson College
Davidson College
July 7, 2011
The Davidson College Board of Trustees today elected Carol Quillen, vice president for international and interdisciplinary initiatives at Rice University, the 18th president of Davidson College. Her appointment is effective August 1, 2011.
Quillen's appointment was announced at an all-campus meeting this afternoon. In making the announcement, Davidson's Board chair, Mackey McDonald '68, said, "The Davidson search committee was a microcosm of the Davidson family—trustees, students, faculty and staff with a broad range of interests, experiences and backgrounds. Even with the great diversity on the committee, there was a deep, shared commitment to Davidson—and an absolute agreement about our new president. Carol Quillen understands all facets of the academic enterprise," McDonald noted. "A brilliant administrator and a talented teacher and scholar, she can articulate not only the value, but also the necessity of a liberal arts education. Her values are Davidson's values. She inspired us," McDonald said, "and we could not be more enthusiastic about welcoming her to Davidson."
Quillen has had a long and distinguished career at Rice. She joined the faculty as an assistant professor of history in 1990, and she earned promotion to associate professor in 1996. From 2004 to 2008, she served as the first director of Rice's Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, leading development of the center's new mission and shaping an agenda that helped distinguish the center from other organizations.
From 2006 to 2010, Quillen served as Rice's vice provost for academic affairs, focusing particularly on developing initiatives that cross academic schools, faculty diversity and faculty development, and resource development. During this time, she worked with faculty to develop and secure funding for a new Center for Asian Studies and a new Institute for Urban Research. She co-chaired the president's diversity task force, and instituted mentoring programs for junior faculty.
In her current role, as vice president for international and interdisciplinary initiatives, Quillen is responsible for developing and implementing Rice's overall global strategy, which includes research partnerships, recruiting strategies, curricular revision and international opportunities for students. She also facilitates implementation of university-wide initiatives, including the Institute for Urban Research, Rice 360 (a global health effort), and collaborations with Baylor and other institutions within the Texas Medical Center. She works closely with the president, provost and other senior leadership on academic, budget, curricular and capital projects planning.
James W. Crownover, chair of Rice University's Board of Trustees, said, "It's an honor for Rice that one of ours has been chosen to lead a place as respected as Davidson. I've worked very closely over the years with Carol Quillen-she's a strategic thinker and an outstanding collaborator. It's easy to see how smart and inspiring she is; what's harder to see, but what's also true, is that she's very hard-working. She has a commitment to doing things well, and to helping those around her do well, too. She will work hard, and she will succeed for Davidson."
