Just days before this issue went to press, Denison’s Board of Trustees announced that Adam Weinberg will become the college’s 20th president, succeeding Dale Knobel, who will retire on June 30 after 15 years at the helm. Weinberg, who will begin his Denison tenure on July 1, is currently the president and CEO of World Learning, an international nonprofit organization that provides education, exchange, and development programs in more than 60 countries. His selection comes after a yearlong search conducted by a committee composed of trustees, faculty, staff, and students.
Weinberg graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College and did work at Cambridge University before earning his master’s degree and doctorate from Northwestern University in sociology. He was vice president and dean of the college at Colgate University, where he served on the faculty for more than a decade. He gained national prominence for his work on increasing civic education, including publishing widely on the importance of civic education, and starting a number of organizations like The COVE (Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education) and The Partnership for Community Development. In 2006, Weinberg joined World Learning as the provost of the School for International Training, and also served as the organization’s executive vice president.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Weinberg serves on the boards of InterAction and The Alliance for International Education and Cultural Exchange, and is the past chair of Vermont Campus Compact. He’s written a number of articles that have been published in The Washington Quarterly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, Peer Review, and a range of academic journals. He also has co-authored two books: Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Development and Local Environmental Struggles. Jill Tiefenthaler, president of Colorado College, calls Weinberg “a visionary leader, a champion of the liberal arts and a dedicated mentor to students.”
“Joining Denison is a unique opportunity to be a part of a leading academic institution that is challenging itself to re-imagine the role of a liberal arts education in a rapidly changing world,” Weinberg says. “I look forward to collaborating with Denison’s faculty so that our students continue to benefit from an education that demands spirited debate and personal engagement with ideas that impact local and global communities. On a personal note, my family and I are excited to join both the Denison and Granville communities.”
Weinberg will make the trip from Brattleboro, Vt., to Granville with his wife Anne, his son, Nathan, and his daughter, Abigail. His older daughter, Margaret, is a student at New York University.
For more information on Denison’s next president, visit TheDEN, and we’ll bring you more coverage of Weinberg and his plans for the college in the Fall 2013 issue of Denison Magazine.