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James E. Scanlon, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of History, R-MC |
James E. Scanlon, Ph.D., will receive the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree during Randolph-Macon College’s Commencement on Saturday, May 28, 2011. Scanlon is a Professor Emeritus of history at Randolph-Macon College and serves as the college historian. He is the author of Randolph-Macon College: A Southern History 1825 – 1967 (University Press of Virginia, 1983).
Scanlon’s experience at R-MC spans nearly 45 years. He joined the faculty in 1968. He served as chair of the history department from 1982 to 1988 and was a member of the planning committee for the restoration and renovation of Washington-Franklin Hall, one of the six buildings on R-MC’s campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the college’s 175th anniversary in 2005, Scanlon gave a presentation, “Randolph-Macon Buildings: How They Speak to Us,” which explained how the architecture of many of the college’s buildings stand as a witness to the values of those who designed and built them.
A celebrated educator, mentor and friend, Scanlon has received numerous awards during his career at R-MC. He received the distinguished Nöe-Kilgore Award in 2007, which honors faculty emeriti for an outstanding teaching career and service. He was also awarded the Isaac Newton Vaughan Chair in History in 1992, The Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Professor Award in 1984 and the Thomas Branch Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1973. Twice elected as faculty representative to the President’s Cabinet, he has chaired or served on numerous faculty committees, including the Strategic Planning Commission, the Curriculum Committee, the Academic Status of Students Committee, and the Faculty Development Committee. Additionally, he served as secretary of the faculty for more than 20 years.
A native of Steubenville, Ohio, Scanlon graduated cum laude with an A.B. degree from Georgetown University in 1962, earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin in 1965 and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia, where he had a DuPont Fellowship and was elected to the Raven Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. Scanlon is a member of the Organization of American Historians, the Virginia Historical Society and Phi Alpha Theta Fraternity. He has written a variety of articles and reviews in revered publications including the History of Education Quarterly and the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography.
Scanlon lives in Ashland, Virginia. He is currently researching and writing his second historical book about the college, Randolph-Macon College: Traditions and New Directions 1967 – 2005.
Randolph-Macon College Commencement will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2011 at the R-MC Frank E. Brown Fountain Plaza on Henry Street. (In the event of rain, commencement will be held in the Randolph-Macon Brock Recreation Center, located at 400 N. Center Street, at 10 a.m.) Click on
2011 Commencement for more information on this year’s events and activities.
For media inquiries or more information about R-MC’s 2011 Commencement activities, please contact Pam Cox at (804) 752-3712 or pamelacox@rmc.edu, or Anne Marie Lauranzon at (804) 752-7317 or alauranz@rmc.edu.