Christopher Ames Appointed New Provost and Dean of the College

Chestertown, MD, January 6, 2006

Message from President Tipson

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Christopher Ames as our new Provost and Dean of the College. Dr. Ames, who is currently the Provost and Senior Vice President at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, will bring significant experience and expertise in both teaching and administration to Washington College. He will begin his new position on July 1.

In an exceptionally strong pool of candidates, Christopher Ames stood out. We are eager to welcome him and his wife, Lauren, to Chestertown.

A graduate of the University of Texas-Austin with a Ph.D. in English literature from Stanford, Dr. Ames has had a long academic career distinguished by numerous awards and fellowships and by the publication of two books and many articles on twentieth-century literature and film. At Oglethorpe he worked hard to achieve gender and racial diversity within the faculty while elevating scholarly expectations and opportunities for development and collaborative research. He also served as a policy-maker, participating in campus master planning, marketing and campaign strategy, board development, and residential life issues.

Prior to his arrival at Oglethorpe in 2001, Dr. Ames was the Charles A. Dana Professor of English at Agnes Scott College. In addition to a fifteen-year teaching career there, Dr. Ames ran the Agnes Scott Writers' Festival, bringing authors such as John Updike, Jamaica Kincaid, and Joyce Carol Oates to campus.

"I am thrilled to be joining the faculty and administration of Washington College," Dr. Ames said in accepting the appointment. "Washington College has impressed me as an excellent liberal arts college with a truly distinctive character that takes advantage of its history, its location and its strong faculty. I look forward to working with President Tipson and the faculty to implement the new strategic plan and to enhance the college's strengths and national reputation."

I commend the Search Committee for their tireless dedication to the important task of finding a successor for Dean and Provost Scholz. Joachim has done a masterful job and will be a difficult act to follow. I feel certain Dr. Ames is up to the challenge.