Bridgewater Names Dr. David Bushman as Next College President
Board Unanimously Selects Ninth Institutional President
BRIDGEWATER, Va. --- The Bridgewater College
Board of Trustees today announced that it has unanimously selected
Dr. David W. Bushman as the ninth president of the College.
Bushman, Dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics at
Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., will assume
the presidency on June 1, 2013. An accomplished academic leader,
Bushman was selected following a national search and brings to
Bridgewater College extensive experience in higher education
administration and in the classroom.
Bushman has been with Mount St. Mary’s University since 2009,
when he was appointed the founding dean of the university’s
School of Natural Science and Mathematics. In this role, he
oversees numerous academic programs and new academic program
development as well as strategic and communications planning and
fundraising for the school.
Prior to leading Mount St. Mary’s School of Natural Science
and Mathematics, Bushman served as president of Lees-McRae College
in Banner Elk, N.C. While at Lees-McRae, Bushman oversaw the
college’s successful bid for re-accreditation from Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and developed and
implemented a new strategic plan for the institution. During his
time at the helm, Lees-McRae engaged in a number of significant
campus renovation projects, implemented curricular and
co-curricular enhancements, and increased its freshman retention
rate significantly.
Bridgewater trustee and board chair Nathan Miller commented,
“Dr. Bushman possesses a great mix of experience in teaching,
leading, fundraising and service to his community. He was described
by many we spoke with as ‘the best of the best.’ We are
honored to welcome him into our campus community.”
“Our search has led us to the next great leader of
Bridgewater College,” said Judge G. Steven Agee, Bridgewater
trustee and chair of the search committee. “We are confident
that Dr. Bushman is a man with the integrity, leadership skills and
academic credentials needed to guide our college into the
future.”
“I join the Bridgewater community filled with both excitement
and humility, excitement for the exceptional opportunity
represented by the presidency of Bridgewater College and humility
in seeking to join, and to lead, the BC community,” said
Bushman when asked to comment on his appointment. “An
important part of my role will be articulating a shared vision of
the College’s future, and I look forward to working with
faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community in making that
vision a reality.”
“We are very fortunate that Dr. Bushman has selected
Bridgewater College as his new home,” said interim president
Roy Ferguson. “I know we will work together well to ensure a
smooth transition and to build on the successes of this great
college. It will be an honor to continue to serve BC and its
students with a leader of Dr. Bushman’s caliber.”
Before joining Lees-McRae in 2004, Dr. Bushman served in a variety
of roles at Mount St. Mary’s, including dean of academic
services, director of assessment, chair of the department of
science and associate professor of biology.
Dr. Bushman earned his bachelor of science in
biology summa cum laude from Loyola College in
Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland with both
his master of science and doctorate in entomology. Upon completion
of his Ph.D., Dr. Bushman worked in private industry as a research
biologist and research fellow. He has been published in the field
of entomology as well as undergraduate science education.
The president-elect has served as an executive committee member for
North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and was a
board member for The Edgar Tufts Memorial Association. In addition,
he has served as a campus site visit member for SACS
re-accreditation.
“With our own children now young adults, Suzanne and I are
ready to engage the broader ‘family’ of students at
Bridgewater,” commented Bushman. “We embrace the
College’s responsibility to educate students in mind, body
and spirit and cherish the opportunities we will have as college
president and spouse to model the pursuit of excellence and the
integration of professional and family life in all we
do.”
Bushman and his wife, Suzanne DeLaney Bushman, have two children,
Emily, a junior at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,
and Will, a high school senior.
--- This release is
courtesy of the Bridgewater College Office of Marketing &
Communications. ---
www.bridgewater.edu
