Gordon in the News: last updated 06/13/2011
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D. Michael Lindsay to lead Christian liberal arts college starting July 1, 2011 |
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“Dr. Lindsay is not only what we were looking for in Gordon’s next president but absolutely personifies the scholarly and Christian virtues Gordon seeks to encourage in our students,” said Gordon College trustee and alumnus Herman Smith, who chaired the Presidential Search Committee. “He exemplifies the next generation of leaders who are having a strong impact already on our culture.” |
 All Lindsay photos: Nikky LaWell |
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Smith and Kurt Keilhacker, chairman of Gordon’s Board of Trustees, announced the appointment at Gordon today. Lindsay is also being named a professor of sociology.
Lindsay, 39, directs the Program for the Study of Leadership at Rice University, where he is also a member of the sociology faculty and a Rice Scholar at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Under his direction the program launched a successful series of “leadership salons” in which national leaders interact with Rice undergraduates in conversations on current topics. Lindsay is currently completing the largest interview-based research to date of senior organizational leaders. The study is based on interviews with over 500 leaders in the U.S., including former Presidents Carter and Bush, and hundreds of CEOs at the nation’s largest corporations and nonprofits.
“Michael Lindsay is a visionary leader and a game changer for Gordon,” Keilhacker said. “I believe he is ideally suited to navigate the intellectual currents of the academy as well as the challenges facing higher education in general and Christian higher education in particular.”
In addition to his teaching experience and administrative leadership, Lindsay is the author of two dozen publications, including scholarly articles in the top journals of three different fields as well as the award-winning book Faith in the Halls of Power, which was nominated by Oxford University Press for the nonfiction Pulitzer Prize. His work has been supported by multiple scholarly organizations, including the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Academy of Education and the National Science Foundation. In 2006 he was honored in a worldwide competition as the most promising sociologist under 35.
Lindsay has delivered academic lectures in Europe, Africa, South America, and throughout the United States. Because of his expertise on religion and public life, Dr. Lindsay has been quoted or profiled in hundreds of news outlets over the last decade, and he is a featured “On Leadership” panelist for WashingtonPost.com. He holds elected positions within sections of the American Academy of Religion and the American Sociological Association.
“Michael Lindsay has contributed remarkable scholarship to Rice over the last five years,” Rice University President David Leebron said. “We congratulate Gordon College on its bold choice for a new president. Although we will miss Michael, I have no doubt that he will be a superb president.”
Lindsay joined the Rice faculty in 2006. He completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University and worked with the George H. Gallup International Institute. A graduate of Baylor University, Lindsay also holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University.
“I feel tremendously blessed to be given the opportunity to serve the Gordon community in this role,” Lindsay said. “I have long admired Gordon College for its commitment to Christ, its intellectual rigor, and its reputation for excellence in New England and around the world. It will be exciting to work with my Gordon colleagues in making a great institution even better.”
Last fall, after 19 exemplary years of service as president of Gordon College, R. Judson Carlberg, Ph.D., announced his retirement effective June 30, 2011. Under Carlberg’s tenure the College has experienced substantial growth and recognition for its academic excellence, global programs and campus facilities.
The Board of Trustees formed a committee of eight board members, one faculty representative and a staff representative, chaired by Smith. The Board also engaged Price Harding III, a managing partner of CarterBaldwin Executive Search.
For additional information on D. Michael Lindsay, contact:
Rick Sweeney
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
[email protected]
