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Donald R. Eastman III

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dr. Donald Eastman
4th President of Eckerd College
In office
2001–2020
Preceded byEugene Hotchkiss
Succeeded byDamian J. Fernandez
Personal details
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee (BA)
University of Florida (PhD)

Donald R. Eastman III is an American academic administrator who served as the fourth President of Eckerd College from 2001 to 2020.

Education

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Eastman enrolled at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1963, but soon transferred to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. He earned a PhD from the University of Florida and also attended Harvard University. While an undergraduate at Emory, he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and he continued his active membership in the Fraternity while at Tennessee.[1][2]

Career

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From 1989 to 1990, Eastman was the Executive Director of University Communications at Cornell University. From 1991 to 1998, he served as the Vice President for University Relations at the University of Georgia. In 2001 he became the President of Eckerd College.[3]

At the beginning Eastman's tenure as President of Eckerd College, the institution has been warned that it might lose its accreditation.[4][5] Eastman was criticized for insensitive remarks regarding rape.[6][7] However, by the end of his presidency, Eastman was credited with doubling applications for admission to Eckerd, providing more student housing, and improving the college's stature after its financial scandals.[8][9]

In November 2019, Eastman announced that he would retire from his position. Eastman officially retired on June 30, 2020, having served the second-longest term of any Eckerd College president.[10][11] Eastman was succeeded as president by Damián J. Fernández, the previous chancellor of Penn State Abington.[12]

References

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  1. ^ The Campus. Atlanta, GA: Emory University. 1964. p. 364.
  2. ^ The Volunteer. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee. 1965. pp. 248–249.
  3. ^ "Home".
  4. ^ COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER, Shannon. "Eckerd warned it could lose accreditation". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ^ Nipps, Emily. "List ranks Eckerd College among America's "druggiest."". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  6. ^ Svokos, Alexandra (25 November 2014). "Eckerd College President: You Can Stop Rape By Not Drinking Or Having Casual Sex". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  7. ^ Gartner, Lisa (24 November 2014). "Eckerd president blames college sexual assaults on excess drinking, casual sex". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  8. ^ "A Penn State chancellor is the new president of Eckerd College: 'I have big shoes to fill'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Donald R. Eastman III to retire as president of Eckerd College after 18 years".
  10. ^ "Donald R. Eastman III to retire as president of Eckerd College after 18 years". www.presbyteriancolleges.org. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  11. ^ "President Donald R. Eastman III to retire effective June 30, 2020". News | Eckerd College. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  12. ^ "Penn State Abington Chancellor Damian Fernandez announces departure | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-04.