To the Campus Community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Thomas J. Ward Jr. as the new Dean
of Farmingdale State College’s School of Arts & Sciences. The appointment will be
effective August 1.
Tom first joined FSC’s faculty as Assistant Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences
in 2019. Prior to FSC, he 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.
His 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. We are delighted that he will lead our School of Arts & Sciences.
A nationally recognized historian, Tom is also an accomplished writer, who has authored
numerous articles on African American history and the history of health care in the
American South, and 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.
I want to share my tremendous appreciation to all the members of the search committee
for their leadership and dedication through the selection process.
Tom succeeds Dr. Charles Adair, who has served as Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences
since 2016. Charles has been an integral member of the FSC community for almost 50
years and we are deeply grateful that he will continue to support our mission in his
new role as Special Advisor to the Provost.
Please join me in congratulating Tom on his new role and thanking Charles for his
exceptional service.
John Nader
President