Oglethorpe University Selects Dr. Kathryn McClymond as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Thursday, June 17th, 2021
Following a national search, Oglethorpe University President Nick Ladany has named Dr. Kathryn McClymond as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective July 19.
Dr. McClymond is currently Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University, where she has been a faculty member for 22 years. She also is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and served as chair for nine years.
As chief academic officer and a member of the senior administrative leadership team, Dr. McClymond will oversee all academic affairs and faculty, as well as the Office of the Registrar, Academic Success, Weltner Library, and the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.
"I'm very excited to join the extraordinary students, faculty, and staff at Oglethorpe University," said Dr. McClymond. "I was drawn to Oglethorpe because of its commitments to student learning, the liberal arts, and the advancement of diversity and equity. I'm looking forward to supporting and showcasing Oglethorpe's contributions to national conversations about higher education."
"Dr. McClymond brings a wealth of administrative and academic experiences to the position of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, including her extensive work in areas of faculty development and mentorship, and student support," said President Ladany.
At Georgia State, Dr. McClymond has led faculty and staff teams to advance academic program growth and curriculum development, student support and advising, strategic community partnerships, and faculty development and mentoring, including new strategies to diversify the faculty. She also has directed ongoing faculty recruitment, retention, and recognition efforts.
Dr. McClymond is a historian of religions, trained in Hinduism and Judaism, with a research emphasis on comparative religious ritual. She is the author of "Beyond Sacred Violence: A Comparative Study of Sacrifice" (Johns Hopkins University Press) and, most recently, "Ritual Gone Wrong: Case Studies in Ritual Disruption" (Oxford University Press), which examines ritual mistakes, sabotage, and disruption and their significance for ritual theory. Her recent research projects focus on religious rituals as a pathway to recovery for combat veterans, and ritual expressions in art quilts.
Dr. McClymond is a member of the American Society for the Study of Religion and has served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Religion. She currently chairs the AAR's Futures Task Force, leading conversations about opportunities for innovation and growth in the professional organization. Dr. McClymond has received several awards for her work, including a Distinguished Honors Professor Award, an Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University, and the American Academy of Religion's Ray L. Hart Service Award.
She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard University.
About Oglethorpe University
Founded in 1835, Oglethorpe University is Atlanta's only co-educational small private college, home to 1450 diverse and engaged students from more than 30 states and 30 countries.
Renowned for its groundbreaking Core program, Oglethorpe's academically rigorous programs emphasize intellectual curiosity, individual attention, close collaboration among faculty and students, and active learning in relevant field experiences. Oglethorpe joins theory and practice in its A_LAB (Atlanta Laboratory for Learning), an incubator for experiential learning via internships, study abroad, civic engagement, and undergraduate research.
Oglethorpe is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as an institutional core value. Oglethorpe's student body is remarkably diverse: 51% self-identify as persons of color; 40% are the first generation in their families to attend college; and 40% are Pell eligible. Among Oglethorpe students, 97% receive some financial need-based aid.
Over the last decade, Oglethorpe has entered an unprecedented era of innovation and growth, evidenced by increased enrollment and philanthropic giving, and new strategic entrepreneurial partnerships. In 2019, Oglethorpe opened the I.W. 'Ike' Cousins Center for Science and Innovation and the Q. William Hammack Jr. School of Business. Since 2013, Oglethorpe has seen the addition of an award-winning campus center; a residential complex with six state-of-the-art classrooms; and the expansion of arts and athletics facilities. Oglethorpe's partnership venture with LeadAbroad has expanded its global footprint with the development of five global campuses in Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Cape Town and Greece.
Oglethorpe is home to the Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, and the Piedmont School of Atlanta. The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Athletic Association.
