| April 12, 2001 |
Contact: Lance
Wallace |
MACON Š Richard
C. Fallis, Ph.D., was appointed today dean of Mercer University's College of
Liberal Arts by University President R. Kirby Godsey. The appointment comes
after an 18-month national search. Fallis currently serves as professor of English
and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Belmont University, Nashville,
Tenn. He will assume his responsibilities at Mercer on July 1.
"Mercer University is fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Richard Fallis' academic stature and administrative experience to lead the College of Liberal Arts," President Godsey said. "The College of Liberal Arts is not only the founding college of the University, but also the academic heart of Mercer. Dr. Fallis is fully committed to the liberal arts, and his strong leadership should further strengthen the academic programs of the College." Fallis graduated cum laude from Wake Forest College in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in English and interdisciplinary studies. On a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, he earned his doctorate in English from Princeton University in 1972. His dissertation was a study of the literary criticism of the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats.
He began his academic career at Syracuse University, N.Y., in 1971 as assistant professor of English. During his 24-year-tenure at Syracuse, he held several administrative positions in addition to his faculty post as professor of English. He was associate dean of the Graduate School, 1978-79; director of Graduate Studies in English, 1979-84 and 1989-90; resident chair (English), Syracuse University, London Centre, 1984-85 and 1986-87; and chair, Department of English, 1992-95.
In 1995, he joined the faculty and administration of Belmont University as professor of English and dean of the School of Humanities/Education. In 1999, he became the founding dean of BelmontÕs new College of Arts and Sciences, which has 76 full-time faculty, approximately 600 majors and 60 graduate students.
While at Belmont, he lead the design of the new $5.5 million Leu Center for the Visual Arts and new studios for the broadcasting program; instituted a visiting Humanities Scholars program; and supervised the successful accreditation process in education and social work. Fallis also assisted in the development of master's programs in English and sports administration and introduced majors in audio/visual production, sociology, German, European studies, interdisciplinary classics and political economy.
Presently an editorial board member, he served 15 years as the founding editor of the "Irish Studies Series" from Syracuse University Press, the largest series of scholarly books on Ireland from an American press. Under his direction, more than 60 books were published in the series.
A member of the editorial board of Nua: A Journal of Contemporary Irish Writing, Fallis is also a manuscript evaluator for several academic presses and publishing houses, including Cornell University Press, University of Michigan Press, University of Missouri Press, Gill and Macmillan (Dublin), Macmillan (London) and Macmillan (Toronto).
In 1977, he authored a history of modern Irish literature, The Irish Renaissance (Syracuse University Press), which has been widely used as a reference and textbook. In addition to having several essays published, he has written book reviews for numerous publications, including American Book Collector, Christianity and Literature, Queen's Quarterly and Sewanee Review.
He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, American Philosophical Society, Yeats Society (Ireland) and the Syracuse University Faculty Fellowship Fund.
He is married to Jean Thomson Fallis, Ph.D., and they have a 24-year-old son, Jeff.
Mercer's College of Liberal Arts is the oldest of the University's academic units, founded in 1833 by Jesse Mercer, and remains the cornerstone of MercerÕs educational programs. The College of Liberal Arts has 120 full-time and 25 part-time faculty members and approximately 1,400 students.
Mercer University has been named one of the leading colleges and universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 11 consecutive years. With campuses in Macon and Atlanta, it is the only independent university of its size in the country to offer programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, education, medicine, pharmacy, law, theology and nursing. The University has an enrollment this year of 7,400 students.
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