Davidson College trustees choose alum as new president

DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — The trustees at Davidson College on Friday named Douglas A. Hicks, an alum and religious scholar who played baseball at the school, as its next president.

Hicks, dean of Oxford College of Emory University, assumes his new role on Aug. 1. He succeeds Carol Quillen, who announced in August that she is stepping down after 11 years.

Hicks, 54, earned a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University and master’s and doctorate degrees in religion and economics at Harvard University. His teaching in leadership studies and religion began at the University of Richmond, where he later served as founding director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement. He moved to Colgate University to serve as provost and dean of the faculty, the university’s chief academic officer, before accepting the role of dean at Oxford College at Emory in 2016.

Also, Hicks is an ordained Presbyterian minister. His selection is the first since Davidson trustees removed the requirement that the school's president must be a Presbyterian.