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FARMINGDALE, NY — Thomas J. Ward Jr. was appointed dean of the Farmingdale State College School of Arts & Sciences, the college announced Wednesday. Ward Jr. is set to assume the role Aug. 1.
Ward first joined the college’s faculty as assistant dean of the School of Arts & Sciences in 2019. Before coming to FSC, Ward was chair of the history department at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He also held previous teaching positions at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri; the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile; and University College Cork in Ireland.
“Tom’s experience, passion for education, and commitment to Farmingdale State College will ensure the success and advancement of the cutting-edge departments at FSC’s largest school,” said John S. Nader PhD, president of FSC, in a news release. “I am delighted that Dr. Ward will lead our School of Arts & Sciences.”
Ward succeeds Charles Adair, who has served as dean of the School of Arts & Sciences since 2016. Adair first joined FSC’s faculty in 1975 as a biology professor and soon became a pillar of its academic community, also serving as associate dean and as acting chair of several departments. He recently funded an endowed scholarship for first-generation students in memory of his beloved wife, Violet Adair, who died in May 2020.
“Tom has an excellent understanding of the mission of the school and the potential of each of its departments,” Adair said about his successor. “I have great respect for his judgment and perspective, and I know that he will guide the school skillfully.”
Ward is an accomplished writer who has authored numerous articles on African American history and the history of health care in the American South. He was also the project historian for the award-winning 1998-1999 public radio series, “Mississippi Voices, A Trip Through the Twentieth Century.”
Ward has received numerous awards for his work, including those from the Association of American Publishers, the Langum Charitable Trusts, the Gulf South Historical Association, the Mississippi Historical Society, and the Virginia Military Institute.
In 2003, the University of Arkansas Press published his first book, “Black Physicians in the Jim Crow South.” His most recent work, “Out in the Rural: A Mississippi Health Center and its War on Poverty,” was released in December 2016 and has received wide acclaim, including a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and the 2018 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award. In 2018 he contributed a new foreword to the re-release of Robert Coles’ and Al Clayton’s classic work, “Still Hungry in America.”
Ward is currently working on a book project on health care and the Civil Rights Movement.
“Farmingdale State College’s School of Arts & Sciences students, faculty and staff will continue to benefit enormously from his academic guidance and esteemed expertise,” said Dr. Laura Joseph, senior vice president and provost for FSC. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ward into this new position on our leadership team.”
Ward, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, received a BA from Hampden-Sydney College in 1991, an MA from Clemson University in 1993 and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1999.
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