SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College has appointed four faculty members to named professorships in honor of their leadership and service to the college and its students.
Dr. G.R. Davis was named the college’s second Dr. and Mrs. Larry Hearn McCalla Professor of Biology. He is noted for his avocation as a photographer whose most recent exhibit, “Impressions of Holland and France,” was presented in the Cari Bass Photography studio in Spartanburg in the fall of 2013.
Dr. Li Q. Kinnison, the founding and principal architect of Wofford’s major and minor in Chinese, was named the Peacock Associate Professor of Chinese.
Dr. John R. McArthur, who came to Wofford from Claremont-McKenna College in 1990 and is the long-standing chair of the Department of Economics, was named the Reeves Family Professor of Economics.
Dr. Anne B. Rodrick was named the Reeves Family AssociateProfessor of History. In addition to her teaching duties in the Department of History, Rodrick is the coordinator of the Humanities Program as well as of the 19th Century Studies Program, and she is active in the Gender Studies Program. Rodrick is a member of Wofford’s American Association of Colleges and Universities “Bringing Theory to Practice” team focusing on service and civic engagement in local communities.
“Wofford is first and foremost a teaching institution and it is with tremendous pleasure we announce four newly named professorships,” says Dr. Dennis M. Wiseman, provost and the Reeves Family Professor of French. “Each one epitomizes the essence of what we do as a liberal arts college. They possess the qualities of teaching so necessary to a transformative experience for students: commitment to excellence in classroom instruction, innovation and creativity in pedagogical practices, energetic efforts for continuous improvement, and contributions in service of the campus community stretching far beyond their respective disciplines. We are delighted to be able to recognize the many years of outstanding service to our college given so selflessly by each of them.”
Davis joined the Wofford faculty in 1993, coming from Wingate University. He earned his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and did post-doctoral research at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In 2008, he received an Excellence in Teaching award sponsored by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Inc. (SCICU). His photography work has been featured in “Cottonwood Trail,” published by the Hub City Writers Project.
Under Kinnison’s leadership, Wofford’s Chinese language and culture program has grown tremendously since its inception in 2004, and its students have excelled in the annual Palmetto Chinese Star Language competition. Rachel Woodlee, Wofford’s current Rhodes Scholar, majored in Chinese and business economics. Kinnison received her bachelor’s degree in English literature and language from the Inner Mongolia Teachers University, PRC, and her master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages, from Azusa Pacific University in California. She received her Ph.D. in linguistics from Michigan State University.
McArthur, whose current research centers on “Attendance Rates and Political Shirking” and “The Last-Period Problem in Politics,” received his bachelor of science degree and master of science degree from Montana State University and his Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School. A member of the American Economics Association, he has published numerous articles and has presented his work at a number of conferences. He also has held a number of teaching fellowships. He came to Wofford in 1990.
Rodrick joined the Wofford faculty in 2000. In 2006, she received Wofford’s Philip Covington Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences. She has written two books, one a compact history of Britain and the other about civic culture in 19th century Birmingham, England. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Northwestern University and her master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Endowments for professorships help ensure the long term health and success of our institution and we thank all those who make today's announcements possible through their generous support,” says Dr. David S. Wood, senior vice president for development. “They have forever strengthened our institution."