Harvey T. Wright II, chair of the board of trustees at Methodist University in Fayetteville has announced that Dr. Ben E. Hancock, Jr. will serve as the fourth president of the University.
Dr. Hancock succeeds Dr. M. Elton Hendricks, who is retiring after serving as the president of Methodist University for 27 years. Dr. Hancock will take office March 1, 2011.
“We feel that Dr. Hancock is a strong strategic planner who has a passion for the educational experience that a private, co-educational liberal arts university can offer,” said Wright. “The new president is committed to the University’s mission of engaging, enriching, and empowering students to strive for academic, spiritual, and social/civic excellence.”
The selection of Dr. Hancock is the result of a nationwide search led by Academic-Search, Inc. and a 13-person search committee. The Presidential Search Committee began reviewing applications after August 1, 2010.
“I am truly honored to serve as the next president of Methodist University and to continue the excellent work of Elton Hendricks and the Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Hancock. “I have been so impressed with the faculty, staff, and students at the University during my visits. Methodist is fortunate to have such capable leadership and caring people associated with the University.”
Dr. Hancock has served as vice-president for university advancement at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, since July 1, 2006. He has been responsible for overseeing the administrative areas of University Advancement, which include the following: University Development, Advancement Services, Alumni Programs, and the Alumni
Center. He has served on the University’s Strategic Planning Committee and has led the University through a comprehensive $200 million Ball State Bold Campaign.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to lead the institution during an unprecedented period of growth in enrollment and expanding impact on the State of North Carolina and beyond,” said Dr. Hancock. “We are looking forward to joining and being active members of the Methodist campus and Fayetteville community.”
Prior to serving at Ball State University, he served from 1989 – 2006 as vice-president for institutional advancement at Albion College in Michigan. He was responsible for the areas of alumni and parent relations, communications, corporate and foundation relations, development, gift and estate planning, and capital campaigns.
From 1984 – 1989, Dr. Hancock served as executive director of the Boise State University Foundation in Boise, Idaho. In this position, he served as chief development
officer, provided leadership for the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and directed all development activities, including special fund-raising campaigns, major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, and annual giving. Prior to 1984, he served in advancement positions at Penn State University, Maryville College, and James Madison University.
Dr. Hancock earned a Bachelor of Arts in Russian studies and a master’s degree in education from James Madison University in Virginia. He earned a Ph.D. in comparative and international education from the University of Virginia. His dissertation was titled, “The Role of Philanthropy in the Development of British Higher Education during the Victorian Period (1851-1919).”
Dr. Hancock has traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. In 1988, he received a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1998, he received a Russell Mawby Fellowship at Oxford University, and in 1999, he received a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. From 2005-2009, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne. He has been active with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and has led and attended advancement conferences in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. He and his wife, Debbie (a special education teacher), have five adult children: Jessie, Sarah, Ben III, Matthew, and Andrew, and two grandchildren.
Methodist University is an independent four-year institution of higher education with over 2,300 students from 41 states and 44 countries. Methodist University offers over 70 majors and concentrations, three master’s degree programs, and 19 NCAA III intercollegiate sports. To learn more about the presidential search process, please visit http://www.methodist.edu/presidentsearch/index.htm. For additional information, please contact the Office of University Relations at (910) 630-7043 or (910) 630-7114.
Note: Please call Pam McEvoy, director of university relations, at (910) 630-7043 for additional information or to arrange a phone interview with Dr. Hancock.