The Spirit of shenandoah newsShenandoah University Announces President ElectSU’s Fitzsimmons Tapped To Succeed President Davis
Shenandoah University’s Board of Trustees voted today to elect Dr.
Tracy Fitzsimmons, senior vice president and vice president for
academic affairs, to succeed Dr. James A. Davis as the 16th president
of Shenandoah University, effective July 1, 2008. Dr. Fitzsimmons will
become the first woman president of the 132 year-old institution and
the fourth president to serve at the Winchester campus since the
institution moved from Dayton, Va., in 1960.  Board of Trustees Chairman Harry Smith also served on the selection committee. “The process was very thorough,” said Smith. “After hiring a respected search consultant, the search committee met with a variety of university stakeholders to gather information and input. This led to the development of a comprehensive presidential profile. We concluded we had the right candidate who exceeded the criteria and who possessed the qualities, experience and vision necessary to take Shenandoah University to even greater heights.” Dr. Karen Abraham-Justice, associate professor of physical therapy and president of the faculty senate, also served on the Presidential Search Committee. “As we evaluated the presidential profile developed with the executive search consultant, it became clear Dr. Fitzsimmons was a perfect match to the criteria for Shenandoah’s new president,” she said. “Dr. Fitzsimmons is a passionate, inspired leader who has demonstrated her commitment to faculty development and shared governance, to the advancement of academic programs and to the individual development of students. We look forward to working with her as she leads Shenandoah forward.” Dr. Davis announced his decision to retire on April 4 at the Board of Trustee’s spring meeting. When he leaves office in June 2008, he will have served as president for 26 years. “I’m extremely pleased to hear the search committee’s decision to select Tracy Fitzsimmons as the next president of Shenandoah University,” said Davis. “Tracy is exceptionally gifted as a leader and an administrator. As senior vice president, she works closely with me on administrative issues, and as vice president for academic affairs, she has worked tirelessly with faculty and staff to advance the quality of our academic enterprise, especially making a major contribution in the areas of general education and international programs.” “I am honored and delighted to have been chosen to lead Shenandoah University,” said Dr. Fitzsimmons. “I look forward to consolidating and building upon the tremendous work of Jim Davis. I also look forward to working closely with our outstanding faculty, staff, trustees and students to take Shenandoah University to new heights. “My family and I are so pleased to continue to be a part of this wonderful community in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley,” she said. Dr. Fitzsimmons began her tenure at Shenandoah University in 2001, when she joined the faculty as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Since that time, she has served as vice president and professor of political science, and most recently as senior vice president and vice president for academic affairs. Previously, she was a tenured associate professor of government at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. While at Redlands, she also served as chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty and president of the Academic Assembly. Her regional expertise in Latin America also includes knowledge of democratization, gender, ethnicity and development. An educator at heart, she has taught courses ranging from Global Democratization and Comparative Politics, to Women in Politics in Latin America, Latin American Politics, Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict. She has led travel courses to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She has also published many scholarly works that have appeared in publications, journals and books, and remains a sought-after speaker at academic conferences in the United States and abroad. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science in 1995 and a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University in 1991, and a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University in 1989. She also completed all of the courses for a M.A. in Political Science from the Universidad Católica de Chile in 1989-91. She is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French and conversational in Haitian Creole. Dr. Fitzsimmons is also firmly engaged her community. She serves on the board of directors for Shenandoah Telecommunications (SHENTEL), a NASDAQ-traded company, the Winchester Shelter for Abused Women, Grafton School and Global Justice. She served as a consultant for higher education reform for the University of Isai, Romania, in 2004 and has been an invited participant at the Salzburg Seminar. She has served as an off-site and on-site accreditation reviewer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Locally, she was the 2005 graduation speaker at Millbrook High School and the Women’s Luncheon keynote speaker at the 2005 Apple Blossom Festival. She was named Mortarboard Professor of the Year at the University of Redlands in 1997-98, outstanding professor of the Year by the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce in 1998 and a Harry S. Truman Scholar in 1987-91. She is a recipient of many awards, including the 2006 James R. Wilkins, Sr. Award for outstanding service to Shenandoah University. Dr. Fitzsimmons’ passion for global education has led to several travel-abroad programs for students at Shenandoah University. She founded the International Cross-cultural Center at Shenandoah University, a place where international students can gather to share their experiences with one another as well as the campus community. Over the past three years, Fitzsimmons helped to establish the university’s popular Global Citizenship Project, which has sent more than 150 people from Shenandoah University on all-expenses-paid, 10-day learning trips to international destinations. Dr. Fitzsimmons and her husband Dr. Chuck Call have three children and live in Reliance, Va. They run the Old Schoolhouse Theatre and the Reliance Theatre Project, which provides films, plays and poetry readings for the public. The family attends the Reliance United Methodist Church.
Date: 5/2/2007
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