Huntingdon Announces New Academic Vice President

Montgomery, Ala.—Huntingdon College President J. Cameron West announced today that Dr. Kyle D. Fedler has been appointed to fill the role of vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, beginning June 1. He will also be appointed to the faculty as professor of theological ethics, with tenure. The announcement concludes a six-month national search.

Fedler serves as associate professor, chair of the Department of Religion, and president of the Faculty Senate at Ashland University (Ohio), where he has worked for nine years. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Atlanta, where he graduated from the Westminster Schools, Dr. Fedler completed his bachelor’s degree at Colorado College, Master of Divinity at Columbia Theological Seminary, Master of Sacred Theology at Yale University Divinity School, and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia.

“Dr. Fedler is an outstanding teacher and scholar,” said West. “He has led his department in doubling the number of majors from 25 to 50, attracted foundation support, doubled the number of course offerings, and increased the size of the faculty. I believe his respect for and understanding of the academic process will serve him well at Huntingdon. More importantly, his love of teaching and of church-related higher education make him a perfect fit for Huntingdon College.” Fedler was named the recipient of Ashland’s highest teaching honor, the Taylor Teaching Award, in 2008 and in 2004 was named Outstanding Male Faculty Member of the Year. He is the author of Exploring Christian Ethics: Biblical Foundations (Westminster/John Knox Press, 2006) and has a second book under review by the same press, The Morality of Killing in the Christian Tradition: Suicide, Abortion, Capital Punishment, and Warfare.

Fedler says it was the College’s student-centered nature that attracted him first. “Because Huntingdon is a teaching institution and because the academic program is based on the liberal arts—educating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit—this is exactly the type of place were I can flourish, and where I believe students and faculty can flourish as well,” said Fedler. “Huntingdon is a church-related college, and there are so few colleges where there is respect for religious values in the context of the liberal arts. I like the diversity of students—the convergence of all kinds of views—it’s a great environment for the exploration and pursuit of knowledge.”

“Extreme” may be the best word to describe what Fedler calls his “second job”: training for ultra-endurance events. He regularly competes in 24-hour mountain-bike races, 100-mile foot races, 2-4 day adventure races, and “Ironman” triathlons. On campus, however, he sees his first priority at Huntingdon as “Listening. I see myself as the students’ academic advocate. They have an advocate in student life in the dean of students, and, if they are athletes, their coaches are their advocates in perfecting their sports, but I am their academic advocate. I want to listen to both audiences—faculty and students—find out what’s working and see what might be improved.”

Huntingdon’s enrollment has climbed steadily since 2003. Following the addition of football, the college reinstated majors in accounting, elementary education, and religion, and then added a marching band. A dance team and concert band debuted this year. With the rise in the student population, the faculty has grown by one-third, with the emphasis on adding faculty in the core areas of English, history, religion, math, and natural sciences.

“Already, Dr. Fedler has challenged me to think in new ways about the academic programs here, and I can foresee that his energy and leadership will perpetuate Huntingdon’s reputation for academic excellence,” said West.

Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college. The College motto is “Enter to grow in wisdom; go forth to apply wisdom in service.”

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