By Greta Gould | Reporter
New leadership is on the horizon for Baylor’s Honors College. It recently appointed Dr. Douglas V. Henry as interim dean, and he will begin his work July 1.
Henry is succeeding Dr. Thomas Hibbs, who is moving on to become the president of the University of Dallas. Hibbs, who is a University of Dallas alumnus, has been dean of the Honors College at Baylor University since 2003.
“I’m honored to serve our accomplished faculty, staff, and students,” Henry said. “I count myself especially blessed to help our extraordinary students, drawn from all the academic disciplines and professions, strive for their highest potential. I hope to serve them ably and graciously, doing my best to help them become their very best.”
Henry graduated with a B.A. in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University and went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He began his time at Baylor University in 2001, where he served as associate director and director of Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning. During his time at Baylor, Henry has been a faculty-in-residence professor at Brooks Residential College with his wife, Dr. Michele Henry, professor and division director of music education. He has also led the Baylor in Turkey and Greece summer study abroad program and is a mentor for the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program.
The Lilly Graduate Fellows Program aids “exceptionally well qualified young men and women who have bachelor degrees from LFP Network Schools and who are interested in becoming teacher-scholars at church-related colleges and universities in the United States,” the Lilly Fellows Program website said.
Great Falls, Va., senior Miller Carbaugh was a student in Henry’s Great Texts course during her freshman year at Baylor.
“Great Texts can be very reading and writing intensive, but Dr. Henry made the material enjoyable and would show us that he truly cared about his students and would work to make sure we were successful,” Carbaugh said. “It showed his dedication to being a professor and to the students in the Honors College.”
Carbaugh said Henry has shown his commitment and dedication to the students and Baylor community as a whole through the way he interacts with people. She said during his time as a faculty-in-residence at Brooks Residential College, Henry provided leadership around the clock to all residents which is something very few professors are able to do while at Baylor.
Ogden, Utah senior Aimee Seale was able to travel to Greece with Henry for a Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) study abroad trip.
“Having the opportunity to travel abroad with him to Greece was one of the highlights of my college career,” Seale said. “He was always smiling the whole trip, even when we knew he was tired and stressed which showed how much he cared.”
Henry has written three books titled: “The Schooled Heart: Moral Formation in American Higher Education,” “Christianity and the Soul of the University: Faith as a Foundation for Intellectual Community” and “Faithful Learning and the Christian Scholarly Vocation.”
According to the Honors College website, the Honors College will begin searching for a new dean following the arrival of Baylor’s new Provost Dr. Nancy Brickhouse in May.
