Walsh University has announced the appointment of Douglas Palmer, Ph.D., as Provost. Dr. Palmer, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the University since 2015, will assume the additional role of University Provost effective February 15, 2017. He will fill the position previously held by Laurence Bove, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, who retired as Walsh’s Provost in May 2016.
Dr. Palmer provides leadership and direction to all aspects of academic programming and new curricular initiatives on campus. As Provost, he will work cooperatively with campus deans, division chairs, directors and faculty members to ensure that the curriculum is relevant in discipline and delivery and appropriately reflects the mission of Walsh. He is also responsible for Walsh’s enrollment management at all levels which include undergraduate, graduate and adult/continuing education. Dr. Palmer will oversee the administration of all academic departments including the hiring of faculty members, the academic affairs budget and the strategic planning for new academic programs.
Dr. Palmer joined Walsh University in the fall of 2005 and has served in various roles during his more than 10-year career with the University. Prior to his current position, he served as Assistant Dean of Academic Innovation, Associate Professor of History, Associate Chair and Chair of the Division of Humanities, Special Assistant to the Provost for Global Learning, and Executive Director of Global Learning. Among his many accomplishments during his tenure at Walsh University, Dr. Palmer was instrumental in the development of the Brother Francis Blouin Global Scholars Program in 2012. The Blouin Global Scholars is a living-learning community dedicated to developing students as leaders in service with a global perspective. In 2007, Dr. Palmer also spearheaded the launch of Walsh's undergraduate degree program in Museum Studies, the only program of its kind offered in Ohio and throughout the Midwest.
As Associate Professor of History, Dr. Palmer teaches classes in European and world history and his most recent research and teaching has focused on food and hunger issues. In 2011, he published "The Brewers' Lament: Porter and Politics in Late Seventeenth-Century England" in the journal The Historian.
Dr. Palmer served on the Ohio Board of Regents’ Task Force on International Education and Economic Development and was recently appointed to the Leadership Team as Chair-Elect of the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship committee for NASFA: The Association of International Educators. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at Central Catholic High School in Canton, OH.
In 2004-2005, Dr. Palmer was a Research Fellow at the Emory University School of Law. He holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Oregon, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Asheville. In 2001-2002, Dr. Palmer was a Fulbright Scholar in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
He and his wife Catherine are both from Pittsburgh, PA. Together they have three sons and reside in Canton, OH.