Davidson, N.C. — The board of trustees of Davidson College today introduced their 17th president, Thomas W. Ross Sr., a 1972 graduate of the college. Ross has been serving as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem, N.C. He previously served for 17 years as a North Carolina superior court judge.
Ross will take the reins of the college on August 1. He succeeds Robert F. Vagt, who retires from the post after this academic year. Vagt served as president for 10 years.
At the announcement of his selection Thursday morning in Duke Family Performance Hall, Ross indicated he was, “humbled by the possibilities and challenges before all of us.” He said, “For my part, I pledge to work with and follow the direction of the Board of Trustees as we together strive to make Davidson an even stronger, more accessible and more diverse community.”
John. F. McCartney, chair of the board of trustees, made the announcement. He said, “The board is delighted that Tom has accepted the position. His insight, intelligence, experience, and compassion will serve us well. Tom’s outstanding record of public service reflects the values of leadership and service that Davidson seeks to instill in all its graduates.”
Ross brings to his new position an understanding of the Davidson culture and traditions, and a record of respected leadership in a number of different arenas throughout the state and nation, according to the school announcement of Ross’ appointment. He is the son of a Davidson alumnus, parent of two alumni, and he has served for the past four years as a trustee of the college.
The new president received a law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law, with honors, after attending Davidson, and served as an assistant professor of public law and government for a year at UNC’s Institute of Government in Chapel Hill. In 1976 he joined the Greensboro law firm of Smith Patterson, Follin, Curtis, James and Harkavy, where he practiced law until 1982. Ross was then appointed as chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Robin Britt in Washington, D.C. In January 1984 Gov. Jim Hunt appointed him as a judge on the state superior court, where he served until 2000.
In 2000, the National Center for State Courts in 2000 presented Ross with the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, which goes to just one state court judge nationwide each year. The late Chief Justice Rehnquist presented the award personally to Ross in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Ross has led the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation since 2001 in its mission “to improve the quality of life of the people of North Carolina.” The foundation awards about $20 million annually to non-profit groups concerned with community economic development, democracy and civic engagement, the environment, pre-college education, and social justice.
As president of Davidson, Ross will oversee an $82-million annual budget and $420 million endowment, and approximately 690 full-time employees dedicated to educating 1,700 undergraduate students from across the country and around the world.
Among his challenges will be raising $70 million to permanently endow the Board of Trustees’ recent commitment to replace all educational loans to students with grants as part of financial aid packages, so that no student will graduate with debt.
His initial priority, however, is to become a student himself. “As much as I already know and love about Davidson from my last three decades of association, I still have much more to learn,” he said. “The first thing I need to do is learn more about Davidson by talking with students, faculty, and staff. This type of small, residential, liberal arts college provides an incredibly valuable educational opportunity in our society. To preserve and protect it, we must constantly assess how well it is serving our students and entire college community.”
