VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley

The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors today approved the appointment of Robert D. Holsworth, Ph.D., as dean of the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. 

Holsworth has served as interim and acting dean of the college since July 2004. He will leave the positions of director of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and director of the Center for Public Policy to head the university’s largest academic unit, which serves more than 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

"VCU has benefited greatly from his service in various leadership roles throughout his 28 years at the university and we look forward to more successes as he takes on the role of dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences," said VCU President Eugene P. Trani.

Holsworth joined the VCU faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. He rose through the ranks to become chair of the political science and political science and public administration departments.  He became director of the Center for Public Policy in 1994, and director of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in 2004.

“We are confident that Dr. Holsworth is the right person to the lead the college at a time when the university’s priority is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in the 21^st century,” said Stephen D. Gottfredson, Ph.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.  

Among numerous achievements, Holsworth is the recipient of two prestigious awards for teaching -- the Virginia Commonwealth University Outstanding Teacher Award and the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award.  He has authored numerous books, articles, chapters and papers; is a regular speaker and guest lecturer. He is frequently interviewed by local and national media on a variety of political topics. Holsworth also has held several non-academic leadership positions, including executive director of the Governor’s Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness, director of the Virginia Executive Institute, and co-staff director of the Commission on Revitalizing Virginia’s Urban Areas. 

Holsworth holds a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.