Dr. W. Craig Turner, who served six years as President of Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) in Abilene, Texas, became Catawba College's 21st President, effective June 1. The College Board of Trustees approved Turner's nomination at its February 19 meeting following a recommendation by the College's Presidential Search Committee.
 
Dr. Turner succeeded College President Dr. Robert E. Knott who retired in May at the end of this academic year after six years of service to the institution.
 
"Dr. Knott has taken Catawba to new levels of academic excellence and with Dr. Turner's breadth of experience, we're confident that he can continue to move the institution forward, continuing the focus on strengthening our academic programs," explained Tom Smith, Chair of Catawba's Board of Trustees.
 
Dr. Turner was recommended to the Board as the top candidate for the job by Catawba's Presidential Search Committee. He had been one of three finalists for the position whom the Search Committee had brought to campus in recent weeks to meet with trustees, faculty, staff, students and community members. He was selected from 156 applicants for the post, representing 36 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.
 
Dr. Turner joined the administration and faculty of Hardin-Simmons University in 1992, serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of English from 1992 to 1996. He then became Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer until he was named Chief Operating Officer in June 2000. Dr. Turner then served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at HSU for a year before becoming the 14th President of Hardin-Simmons University on June 1, 2001.
 
During his tenure as President, HSU has seen record enrollments (2,435 in the fall of 2007), record endowment and similar funds ($121.5 million in 2007), and surplus budgets. HSU finished the most successful fund raising campaign in its history in December of 2006, having raised $49.7 million. The University successfully completed its Commission on Colleges reaccreditation in 2007, has been chosen as a Top Tier institution by U.S. News & World Report for six consecutive years and a Best in the West institution by Princeton Review for five consecutive years.
 
Dr. Turner has been active in the Abilene, Texas, community, serving on the Boards of organizations such as United Way of Abilene, the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, Serenity House, the Abilene Philharmonic, and the Abilene Humanities Council. He has also served on the Boards of the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Schools, and the Consortium for Global Education, which he currently chairs.
 
Dr. Turner came to HSU from Mississippi College (MC) in Clinton, Mississippi, where he was Head of the English Department and Professor of English from 1985 to 1992. While at MC, he was chosen as "Teacher of the Year," cited as "Scholar of the Year," and elected President of the Faculty. His wife, Annette, served the Clinton Independent School District as a first grade teacher.
 
Previously, he served as a tenured Assistant and Associate Professor of English at Texas A&M University from 1976 to 1985 and as a visiting instructor at Baylor University in 1974-1975. Dr. Turner earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Tulane University in British and American Literature in 1977, and earned two degrees from Baylor: the Master of Arts in English in 1971 and the Bachelor of Arts in English and History in 1969. He has edited three books — The Poet Robert Browning and his Kinsfolk, Critical Essays in American Humor, and Critical Essays in Eudora Welty — as well as having published more than two dozen scholarly articles, essays, and chapters in books. Since he greatly enjoys teaching, he tries to schedule a course every other year to stay active in the profession and in the classroom.
 
Dr. Turner and wife Annette have two grown children: Scott, a Development Officer for Texas Tech University in Dallas, and Shannon Hays, an attorney, writer, and mother in Jacksonville, N.C. Shannon and her husband Mike, a Marine Corps Captain, have twin daughters: Madeleine and Peyton.
 
The pool of candidates for Catawba's top position included 15 sitting or former college or university presidents, 22 provosts or academic affairs' professionals, and 28 deans. RPA Inc. of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, an executive search firm specializing in recruiting for higher education and non-profit organizations, helped facilitate Catawba's Presidential Search and recruit potential candidates.
 

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