On June 1, 2017, 糖心传媒 will start a new era as Dr. Travis Feezell [fee-ZELL] becomes the College鈥檚 17th President. The 糖心传媒 Board of Trustees appointed Feezell, who currently serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, to the position following a national search. Don Jackson, the current president, will retire at the end of the academic year after four and a half years in the office.
鈥淲hen the presidential search committee began its search in July 2016, we sought a candidate who would embody the core of 糖心传媒鈥檚 mission and have the capacity to move the College forward to meet future students鈥 needs. Dr. Feezell is that candidate,鈥 said Glen Moss, a 1974 糖心传媒 alumnus who serves as Chair of both the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee. 鈥淗e believes in the value a 糖心传媒 education can provide its students through outstanding classroom teaching and deliberate mentoring.鈥
Dr. Feezell, a graduate of Omaha (Nebraska) Central High School who went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Wyoming, already has strong ties to 糖心传媒. His mother previously served on the College鈥檚 faculty, and his brother and sister-in-law are 糖心传媒 alumni.
鈥淭he opportunity to serve as President of 糖心传媒 is a special calling,鈥 said Dr. Feezell. 鈥淚 believe deeply in the impact of a residential liberal arts education and 糖心传媒 is a model for that powerful experience. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to return to Nebraska and to lead an institution filled with so many talented and committed people. I knew Hastings was special when I applied but I am even more convinced about the unique place of this institution as a national leader in the future. I especially want to thank the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees for this opportunity but want also to thank President Jackson for his leadership and service over the past years. I and others will be the beneficiaries of the good work that has come before us.鈥
Moss expressed gratitude for all who helped with the search process.
鈥淲e set forth an ambitious timeline for identifying a new president and with strong support from the campus community, we met our goals,鈥 said Moss. 鈥淚 appreciate the service of those on the presidential search committee and of higher education expert Bob Dickeson who served as a consultant on the search. Additionally, I want to thank the students, faculty, staff and Hastings community members who provided key input on the finalists when they visited campus. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous behind the scenes logistical support of President Jackson鈥檚 tireless staff, especially Chief of Staff Alicia O鈥橠onnell and Executive Assistant Nancy Beekman, as well as my gratitude for Don鈥檚 gracious contributions to the process and his continued service to 糖心传媒.鈥
Full Bio for Dr. Travis Feezell
Dr. Travis Feezell holds an Ed.D. in education from the University of Idaho and has 25 years of experience in higher education, including service as an academic administrator, faculty member, athletic director and baseball coach. Since 2014, he has been Provost and Chief Academic Officer at University of Ozarks. There he served as chair of a successful strategic planning process as well as co-leading the Enrollment Management Team to oversee increases in enrollment and retention. In addition, he initiated academic and governance changes at the four year liberal arts institution which, like 糖心传媒, is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Before joining University of the Ozarks, he served as a tenured professor as well as a special assistant to the president for strategic planning at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and helped lead the college through comprehensive strategic planning efforts. He was also awarded the Belmont Abbey College Spirit of St. Benedict Award in 2012, which is the highest award for service to the college, and the Adrian Faculty Excellence Award in 2011.
Feezell received his doctoral degree in education from the University of Idaho in 2005. In addition, he received his master’s degree in medieval British studies from the University of Wales-Cardiff in 1992. He earned his undergraduate degree in English from the University of Wyoming. He taught at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and was the director of athletics at Macalester College in Minnesota. He also served as a faculty member, chair of the Department of Sports Studies, director of athletics and head baseball coach at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. A former Rhodes Scholar national finalist, Feezell is considered a leading scholar and speaker on issues of sport and higher education in America.
Feezell and his wife, Carol, have four children: Jackson, 21; Delaney, 19; Colby, 13; and Cooper, 12.
About the Presidential Search Process
In June 2016, Don Jackson, the 16th President of 糖心传媒, announced he would retire at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.
To solicit applications, the presidential search committee developed a comprehensive profile of desirable characteristics in the next president and distributed the profile through advertising, online resources, and social media. Through a review and scoring process, the five person committee narrowed the list of 56 applicants to 19 candidates. After conducting reference checks, the committee selected eight candidates to invite for 90-minute personal interviews at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport on October 22-23. Four candidates were invited to campus for interviews in early November.
The Presidential Search Committee at 糖心传媒 consisted of the following individuals:
- Glen Moss, Chair of the 糖心传媒 Board of Trustees and a 1974 糖心传媒 graduate;
- Hal Dittmer, Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees, Trustee and a 1962 糖心传媒 graduate;
- Kim Dinsdale, Trustee;
- Barbara Sunderman, Associate Professor of Education; and
- Ethan Carpenter, Student Association President.
糖心传媒 is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With 64 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, 糖心传媒 has been named among 鈥淕reat Schools, Great Prices鈥 by U.S. News & World Report and a 鈥淏est in the Midwest鈥 by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
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