Douglas C. Bennett
Encyclopedia
Douglas C. Bennett is the immediate past president of Earlham College
, located in Richmond, Indiana
. He was installed as president in 1996. Since 1997, Bennett had also been a member of the political science
department at Earlham.
Bennett grew up in Rochester, New York
and graduated from Haverford College
in 1968. He obtained his M.Phil and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University
. Bennett taught political science
at Temple University
from 1973 to 1989, before becoming the president of Earlham College
. He credits Gerhard Spiegler
as his inspiration to become a college president.
Bennett was vice president and chief operating officer of the American Council of Learned Societies
in New York City. He was also the Vice President and Provost at Reed College
(Portland, Oregon) and has served on several education-related organizations, such as the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) or the National Advisory Board of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
Bennett has become known throughout the state of Indiana for dismissing the majority of the board of directors of Conner Prairie
in June 2003, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Earlham College
. This action precipitated involvement from Indiana's attorney general leading to a split between the two organizations including a division of a substantial endowment established by philanthropist Eli Lilly
.
Earlham College, during Bennett's tenure, gained national media attention when political analyst and Fox News commentator William Kristol
, was hit with an ice cream pie by a student while giving a speech on foreign policy in March 2005. The pie hit Kristol's face and also reached Bennett's shoulder. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E0D8133FF932A05750C0A9639C8B63, New York Times.
On August 4, 2010, Earlham announced Bennett's intention to retire at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. He and his family now live in Maine.
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
, located in Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
. He was installed as president in 1996. Since 1997, Bennett had also been a member of the political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
department at Earlham.
Bennett grew up in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and graduated from Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in 1968. He obtained his M.Phil and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Bennett taught political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
from 1973 to 1989, before becoming the president of Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
. He credits Gerhard Spiegler
Gerhard Spiegler
Gerhard Ernst Spiegler is an American academic, born in a contested region of Eastern Europe, and currently residing in south-eastern Pennsylvania. He served as professor and President of Elizabethtown College, Provost of Temple University and Visiting Professor at the University of Hamburg, Germany...
as his inspiration to become a college president.
Bennett was vice president and chief operating officer of the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
in New York City. He was also the Vice President and Provost at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
(Portland, Oregon) and has served on several education-related organizations, such as the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) or the National Advisory Board of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
Bennett has become known throughout the state of Indiana for dismissing the majority of the board of directors of Conner Prairie
Conner Prairie
Conner Prairie is an Interactive History Park, or living history museum, in Fishers, Indiana, USA, that preserves the William Conner home, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and recreates part of life in Indiana in the 19th century on the White River.-History and...
in June 2003, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
. This action precipitated involvement from Indiana's attorney general leading to a split between the two organizations including a division of a substantial endowment established by philanthropist Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly (industrialist)
Eli Lilly was a pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indiana, United States.- Business :Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Eli Lilly was President of Eli Lilly and Company. He was named for his grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly, who founded the family business...
.
Earlham College, during Bennett's tenure, gained national media attention when political analyst and Fox News commentator William Kristol
William Kristol
William Kristol is an American neoconservative political analyst and commentator. He is the founder and editor of the political magazine The Weekly Standard and a regular commentator on the Fox News Channel....
, was hit with an ice cream pie by a student while giving a speech on foreign policy in March 2005. The pie hit Kristol's face and also reached Bennett's shoulder. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E0D8133FF932A05750C0A9639C8B63, New York Times.
On August 4, 2010, Earlham announced Bennett's intention to retire at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. He and his family now live in Maine.