Dr. William "Tom" Bogart begins as 11th President of Maryville College

July 1, 2010
Contact: Karen B. Eldridge, Director of Communications
865.981.8207; karen.eldridge@maryvillecollege.edu

Maryville College welcomes Dr. William "Tom" Bogart, former dean of academic affairs and professor of economics at York College of Pennsylvania, as the institution's 11th president.

Bogart, 46, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University, assumed his new duties on campus today. He succeeds Maryville College President Dr. Gerald W. Gibson, who retired June 30.

The search for the new president began in May 2009, shortly after Gibson announced his retirement plans. Dr. Bryant Cureton, president emeritus of Elmhurst College and a member of Maryville College's Board of Directors, chaired the search committee, which consisted of 15 members representing the Board, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community. Washington, D.C.-based Academic Search Inc. was hired to conduct pre-search studies, create a search profile and advertise the position.

A total of 89 candidates applied for the position. The search committee eventually narrowed the pool to 13 in November and then to three. Those were brought to campus in January for interviews and meetings with numerous constituencies.

"Board members were impressed with Dr. Bogart's leadership experience, his background as a scholar and a teacher, his commitment to undergraduate education, and his understanding of the challenges and opportunities of a church-related college," said Dr. Dorsey D. "Dan" Ellis, chairman of the Board, when the announcement was made in February. "In the search process, the college community compiled an extensive list of desired attributes, and we believe that Dr. Bogart possesses all of these qualities."

From 2002 until 2010, Bogart strengthened both the liberal arts core and professionally focused programs at York, a private college of approximately 4,600 full-time undergraduates, 800 part-time students and 300 graduate students. He has a strong background in strategic planning and participated in York's integrated marketing efforts. His accomplishments include helping to expand the full-time undergraduate enrollment by 500 students and increasing the number and quality of full-time faculty members.

Bogart also played a key role in enlarging York's academic space through both new construction and renovation, including the first LEED-certified building on campus.

A native of Ohio, Bogart earned his bachelor's degree in 1985 from Rice University. In addition to a Ph.D., he holds a master's degree in economics from Princeton. His doctoral dissertation received a top award from the National Tax Association.

Prior to joining the administration at York, he was on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University, where he was chair of the Department of Economics and a research associate of the Center for Regional Economic Issues. While at CWRU, he earned numerous teaching awards, including the Carl F. Wittke Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and the Weatherhead Undergraduate Teaching Award.

His research interests include state and local government tax and spending decisions, local government economic development and land use policy and the effects of school redistricting on real estate markets. He has published widely, including two books, The Economics of Cities and Suburbs (Prentice Hall, 1998) and Don't Call It Sprawl: Metropolitan Structure in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Active in the community, Bogart served on the community development coalition YorkCounts and as chair of the finance committee of the Yorkshire United Methodist Church.

Bogart and wife Mary, a former York College writing instructor and professional writing tutor, have one daughter, Elizabeth.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester was 1,078.