BC Picks New President
Veteran Administrator Bushman Ready To Hit The Ground Running
Posted: January 18, 2013
David Bushman, dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., won’t take over as Bridgewater College’s president until summer, but he’s already prepping for the role.
Although the college’s strategic plan wasn’t required reading, Bushman was already versed in it when he visited campus Thursday.
“He had already briefed himself on that,” Nathan Miller, chairman of the college’s board of trustees and a member of BC’s presidential search committee, said with a laugh. “He surfaced by consensus pretty quickly to be the right candidate for Bridgewater.”
Following a vote late Thursday morning, the board announced Bushman’s unanimous selection as the college’s ninth leader.
The 49-year-old Baltimore native and accomplished higher-education leader was chosen out of about 110 applicants.
“He appears to have a very collaborative management style; [it is] inclusive. We’re excited and looking forward to him taking the reins,” Miller said.
Bushman’s appointment will satisfy his family’s affinity for close-knit communities, he said, as well as his belief in liberal arts education and a holistic learning approach that engages “mind, body and spirit.”
The Bridgewater College presidency will be Bushman’s second. He previously served in that role at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C.
“I’ve really come to like the [small] community feel and places where people care about each other as individuals,” Bushman said. “[Bridgewater has] a mission I believe deeply in and feel passionately about, and it’s situated in a community where my family would like to be. It was just a great fit.”
When he takes over on June 1, Bushman will oversee the college’s $34.6 million budget and its 1,750-member student body.
Miller said the number of applicants was unexpected, considering that the search for the college’s eighth chief executive, which started in 2009 and led to the selection of George Cornelius, turned up about 70 job seekers.
“There was a huge pool [this time], and the interesting thing was they were extraordinarily qualified,” he said.
Cornelius announced in March 2012 plans to let his contract expire at the end of the school year, after less than two years with the college.
Since his departure, Roy Ferguson Jr., Bridgewater College’s executive vice president, has served as interim president.
A nationwide presidential search commenced in July. The application pool was eventually narrowed to four, Miller said, from which Bushman was selected.
In 1991, Bushman started his career in higher education at Mount St. Mary’s University, America’s second-oldest Catholic university, as an assistant professor. He went on to serve as an associate professor of biology, chairman of the department of science, director of assessment and dean of academic services.
In 2004, he took the president’s job at Lees-McRae, where he oversaw the college’s reaccreditation process, created a strategic plan, oversaw a number of significant renovation projects and increased the freshman retention rate.
Bushman served as president of the 850-student college between 2004 and 2009.
“We were working in a lot of different ways there [and] I’m thankful for that experience,” he said.
In 2009, Bushman left Lees-McRae to go back to Mount St. Mary’s, where he became the founding dean of what was the new School of Natural Science and Mathematics. In that job, he oversees academic programs, strategic and communications planning and fundraising.
“He understands the sophistication of fundraising for liberal arts colleges, which is very important,” Miller said.
Bushman, who holds a bachelor’s from Loyola College and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Maryland, also served as a committee member for North Carolina Independent Colleges and visited campuses for the universities and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Bushman said he and his wife, Suzanne, are excited about the move to the Valley. The couple has two children, a daughter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a son who is a high school senior.
“A lot of what I’m going to do upfront is get to know the community in a much deeper way,” Bushman said. “There are a lot of challenges facing higher education right now.
“The goal for Bridgewater in five or 10 years is to be positioned for success and excellence regardless of the changes around us in higher education.”
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com
Although the college’s strategic plan wasn’t required reading, Bushman was already versed in it when he visited campus Thursday.
“He had already briefed himself on that,” Nathan Miller, chairman of the college’s board of trustees and a member of BC’s presidential search committee, said with a laugh. “He surfaced by consensus pretty quickly to be the right candidate for Bridgewater.”
Following a vote late Thursday morning, the board announced Bushman’s unanimous selection as the college’s ninth leader.
The 49-year-old Baltimore native and accomplished higher-education leader was chosen out of about 110 applicants.
“He appears to have a very collaborative management style; [it is] inclusive. We’re excited and looking forward to him taking the reins,” Miller said.
Bushman’s appointment will satisfy his family’s affinity for close-knit communities, he said, as well as his belief in liberal arts education and a holistic learning approach that engages “mind, body and spirit.”
The Bridgewater College presidency will be Bushman’s second. He previously served in that role at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C.
“I’ve really come to like the [small] community feel and places where people care about each other as individuals,” Bushman said. “[Bridgewater has] a mission I believe deeply in and feel passionately about, and it’s situated in a community where my family would like to be. It was just a great fit.”
When he takes over on June 1, Bushman will oversee the college’s $34.6 million budget and its 1,750-member student body.
Miller said the number of applicants was unexpected, considering that the search for the college’s eighth chief executive, which started in 2009 and led to the selection of George Cornelius, turned up about 70 job seekers.
“There was a huge pool [this time], and the interesting thing was they were extraordinarily qualified,” he said.
Cornelius announced in March 2012 plans to let his contract expire at the end of the school year, after less than two years with the college.
Since his departure, Roy Ferguson Jr., Bridgewater College’s executive vice president, has served as interim president.
A nationwide presidential search commenced in July. The application pool was eventually narrowed to four, Miller said, from which Bushman was selected.
In 1991, Bushman started his career in higher education at Mount St. Mary’s University, America’s second-oldest Catholic university, as an assistant professor. He went on to serve as an associate professor of biology, chairman of the department of science, director of assessment and dean of academic services.
In 2004, he took the president’s job at Lees-McRae, where he oversaw the college’s reaccreditation process, created a strategic plan, oversaw a number of significant renovation projects and increased the freshman retention rate.
Bushman served as president of the 850-student college between 2004 and 2009.
“We were working in a lot of different ways there [and] I’m thankful for that experience,” he said.
In 2009, Bushman left Lees-McRae to go back to Mount St. Mary’s, where he became the founding dean of what was the new School of Natural Science and Mathematics. In that job, he oversees academic programs, strategic and communications planning and fundraising.
“He understands the sophistication of fundraising for liberal arts colleges, which is very important,” Miller said.
Bushman, who holds a bachelor’s from Loyola College and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Maryland, also served as a committee member for North Carolina Independent Colleges and visited campuses for the universities and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Bushman said he and his wife, Suzanne, are excited about the move to the Valley. The couple has two children, a daughter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a son who is a high school senior.
“A lot of what I’m going to do upfront is get to know the community in a much deeper way,” Bushman said. “There are a lot of challenges facing higher education right now.
“The goal for Bridgewater in five or 10 years is to be positioned for success and excellence regardless of the changes around us in higher education.”
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com