Dr. Caroline Simon Appointed Whitworth’s next Provost and Executive Vice President
March 5, 2013
Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor announced March 5 the appointment of Caroline Simon, Ph.D., as Whitworth’s next provost and executive vice president. Simon will begin her new position on July 1.
Simon currently serves as associate dean for teaching and learning at Hope College, in Holland, Mich. She has previously held numerous administrative leadership roles at Hope and has served on the college’s board of trustees.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Simon is joining Whitworth as provost and executive vice president,” Taylor says. “Throughout the search process, it was clear that Carol would bring the combination of experience and talents that would make her a great fit to be Whitworth’s chief academic officer. I am sure our students, faculty, staff and academic programs will continue to flourish under Carol’s leadership. Whitworth’s academic future is in great hands.”
According to Simon, the two things that excite her most about Whitworth are its mission and its people. “Whitworth has a very strong sense of identity and purpose—to provide an education of mind and heart in order to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. Though Whitworth has pursued that mission with excellence for more than 120 years, it aspires to look for innovative ways to embody that mission effectively in the twenty-first century.”
Prior to her current position as associate dean for teaching and learning at Hope College, Simon has held leadership roles including interim dean for social sciences, and director of general education and interdisciplinary studies. In these college-wide roles, she has shaped policy, mentored faculty, conducted program reviews, and implemented curricular redesign and learning assessments. As a faculty member at Hope, she held the John and Jeanne Jacobson Endowed Professorship, a rotating, four-year appointment, and chaired the philosophy department for six years.
While engaged in administrative leadership, Simon has continued to write as a philosophical ethicist about virtue and human affection. She has authored, co-authored and edited five books, including Can Hope Endure? A Historical Case Study in Christian Higher Education (Eerdmans, 2005) and Mentoring for Mission: Nurturing New Faculty at Church Related Colleges (Eerdmans, 2003). She has also published more than two-dozen articles. Simon holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Washington, and a B.S. in philosophy from the University of Oregon.
“Dr. Simon sees students as people to be respected, listened to and from whom she can learn,” says Faculty President and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Donna Pierce, who also co-chaired the provost search committee. “She strongly embraces Whitworth’s Christian mission and is an advocate for the value of a Christian liberal arts education. She also understands the importance of Whitworth’s reformed heritage and Whitworth’s commitment to the ‘narrow ridge.’ Her integrity, thoughtfulness and intellect permeate her faith and her research. Carol will provide leadership on implementing academic vision and goals relating to faculty teaching, scholarship and service, and strengthening of the liberal arts and interdisciplinary scholarship. She understands that the work of the Provost must have synergy with all areas and employees of the university to accomplish our shared purpose: educating students.”
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Patti Green, executive assistant to the president and board secretary, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4665 or pgreen@whitworth.edu.
Lucas Beechinor, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or lbeechinor@whitworth.edu.
Simon currently serves as associate dean for teaching and learning at Hope College, in Holland, Mich. She has previously held numerous administrative leadership roles at Hope and has served on the college’s board of trustees.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Simon is joining Whitworth as provost and executive vice president,” Taylor says. “Throughout the search process, it was clear that Carol would bring the combination of experience and talents that would make her a great fit to be Whitworth’s chief academic officer. I am sure our students, faculty, staff and academic programs will continue to flourish under Carol’s leadership. Whitworth’s academic future is in great hands.”
According to Simon, the two things that excite her most about Whitworth are its mission and its people. “Whitworth has a very strong sense of identity and purpose—to provide an education of mind and heart in order to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. Though Whitworth has pursued that mission with excellence for more than 120 years, it aspires to look for innovative ways to embody that mission effectively in the twenty-first century.”
Prior to her current position as associate dean for teaching and learning at Hope College, Simon has held leadership roles including interim dean for social sciences, and director of general education and interdisciplinary studies. In these college-wide roles, she has shaped policy, mentored faculty, conducted program reviews, and implemented curricular redesign and learning assessments. As a faculty member at Hope, she held the John and Jeanne Jacobson Endowed Professorship, a rotating, four-year appointment, and chaired the philosophy department for six years.
While engaged in administrative leadership, Simon has continued to write as a philosophical ethicist about virtue and human affection. She has authored, co-authored and edited five books, including Can Hope Endure? A Historical Case Study in Christian Higher Education (Eerdmans, 2005) and Mentoring for Mission: Nurturing New Faculty at Church Related Colleges (Eerdmans, 2003). She has also published more than two-dozen articles. Simon holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Washington, and a B.S. in philosophy from the University of Oregon.
“Dr. Simon sees students as people to be respected, listened to and from whom she can learn,” says Faculty President and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Donna Pierce, who also co-chaired the provost search committee. “She strongly embraces Whitworth’s Christian mission and is an advocate for the value of a Christian liberal arts education. She also understands the importance of Whitworth’s reformed heritage and Whitworth’s commitment to the ‘narrow ridge.’ Her integrity, thoughtfulness and intellect permeate her faith and her research. Carol will provide leadership on implementing academic vision and goals relating to faculty teaching, scholarship and service, and strengthening of the liberal arts and interdisciplinary scholarship. She understands that the work of the Provost must have synergy with all areas and employees of the university to accomplish our shared purpose: educating students.”
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Patti Green, executive assistant to the president and board secretary, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4665 or pgreen@whitworth.edu.
Lucas Beechinor, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or lbeechinor@whitworth.edu.
