Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce two appointments into endowed positions, which come with the full and enthusiastic support of President Crawford.
Professor of Religion Suzanne Holland has accepted re-appointment as the John B. Magee Chair in Science and Values in the Honors Program. Suzanne is a bioethicist with particular focus on the intersection of ethics, medicine, religion, and new genetic technologies. She has been active in national and international collaborations on issues raised by stem cell research, assisted reproduction, genomics, biobanking, health care access, and just research practices. Professor Holland came to Puget Sound in 1997 having completed her Ph.D. in Ethics at the Graduate Theological Union. Recipient of the 2008 President’s Teaching Award at Puget Sound, she also has a distinguished record as a national and international lecturer for academic and medical conferences; has served as an invited faculty member at Boston College, GTU, and Colgate University; is an affiliate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities in the University of Washington School of Medicine as well as an advisory board member for UW's Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; and is the recipient of several foundation and federal research grants. Suzanne has published two books on science and ethics – the most recent is Achieving Justice in Genomic Translation: Re-Thinking the Pathway to Benefit (Oxford University Press, 2011, with W. Burke, K. Edwards, S. Goering, and S. Trinidad) – and many articles for peer-reviewed journals and anthologies. Her contributions to her profession and to Puget Sound are numerous and significant.
The intent of the donor who established the Magee Chair was that the chairholder contribute to the intellectual life of the university by teaching courses in the Honors Program and his or her discipline, by engaging in intellectual exchange with students and campus colleagues, and by continuing scholarly activity through significant research and publication, thereby enhancing the university’s standards of academic excellence. The dedication of the chair to the study of science and values underscores the university’s belief that such an understanding is essential to liberal arts education. During her 2022-2027 tenure as Magee Chair, Professor Holland will teach in the Honors Program, bioethics, and continue cultivating links between Puget Sound and the health care community in Tacoma-Pierce County. She will continue to teach in the Department of Religion, as well as in the programs in Science, Technology and Society and in Gender Studies.
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Professor of Business and Leadership Jeff Matthews has accepted re-appointment as George Frederick Jewett Professor for 2022-27. Jeff joined the Puget Sound faculty in 2000 and has directed the Business Leadership Program since 2005, bringing his talents in strategic planning and collaboration to cultivate strong partnerships in support of mentorships, internships, speaker series, and coursework. Jeff holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. in History and an M.B.A. from University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance) from Northern Arizona University. He held leadership positions in banking and investment firms prior to making a career transition to college teaching and scholarship. Twice named a recipient of the Thomas A. Davis Teaching Award and the 2009 President’s Teaching Award winner, he is a well-published author, including: Blacksheep Leadership: A story about a Leadership Challenge and the nature of Transformational Leadership (2012) and Alanson B. Houghton: Ambassador of the New Era (2003). The Art of Command: Military Leadership from George Washington to Colin Powell (with Harry Laver, 2008, 2017), remains required reading at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the book has been translated into Chinese for officer training in the Taiwanese Department of Defense.
Most recently, Matthews published a biography of General Colin Powell, Colin Powell: Imperfect Patriot (2019), who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton) and as Secretary of State (under President George W. Bush).
The Jewett Professorship was established in 1980 as the first fully endowed chair in the history of the university. Since its inception, the Jewett Professorship has allowed the business school to hire and support senior faculty members in creating new courses and adding to the scholarly reputation of the faculty.
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Puget Sound is privileged to have ten endowed professorships that support the work of our extraordinary faculty. The generosity of donors to endowments that have created new positions in perpetuity, support awards for outstanding teaching and scholarship, and provide for ongoing faculty and curricular development truly makes a difference in the academic life of this campus and the educational experience of Puget Sound students. I am immensely proud of the work of the faculty and honored to be able to announce the recognitions of Suzanne and Jeff, both of whom represents this work so well.
Laura L. Behling, Ph.D. l Provost and Professor of English