Dr. Bruce Douglas accepts Sterling College presidency
The Sterling College Board of Trustees has announced that Dr. Bruce Douglas has accepted the presidency of Sterling College. He will assume his duties in mid-September.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce Dr. Bruce Douglas as the next president of Sterling College," said Sterling College Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Tom Gray. "Dr. Douglas' experiences, skills and interests have prepared him well for the challenges facing Christian higher education, and we look forward to Dr. Douglas' arrival on the Sterling College campus."
"We are absolutely thrilled to have Dr. Douglas accept the presidency of Sterling College," said Alan Cureton, Sterling College Board of Trustee member and chair of the search committee. "Having an individual of such high caliber and gracious spirit agree to the challenge of leading Sterling College into new educational realms is an answer to prayer for all of us."
"It's an honor to be chosen to serve as president of Sterling College," said Douglas. "Liberal arts education informed by Christian beliefs is important. Science determines too many aspects of our life, and scientific discovery requires search for meaning in order to guarantee its use for good.
"Reason and revelation go together with a historic Christian commitment to the relationship of faith and reason. I will seek respect and empowerment of others at Sterling through charism empowered by Christian leadership."
Douglas' previous experience includes the interim presidency and board chair of the University of Toledo; founder of a public policy institute; creator of construction, engineering and development companies engaged in urban redevelopment using leading edge design concepts; and organizer, fundraiser and chairman of Toledo Regional Growth Partnership, a multi-county economic development entity.
He has been a member of numerous boards—including the University of Toledo from 1984 to 1995—and is currently serving on the boards of Wilberforce University in Springfield, Ohio; Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida; the Center for Policy Analyses and Public Service at Bowling Green State University; Taubman Center for State and Local Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Toledo School for the Arts; and The Toledo Symphony, among others.
Douglas' interests lead him to active participation in the arts, education, higher education reform policy, public policy and fundraising. Of particular interest to Douglas and his wife Delores is "adopting" students early in their schooling and then mentoring them through college while funding their academic pursuits.
Douglas also ran in Ohio's gubernatorial race in 1998.
Douglas received his Ph.D. in history in 2004 from University of Toledo; his Masters of Public Administration in 1995 from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; and bachelor's degrees in Civil Engineering and Physics from the University of Michigan and Kalamazoo College respectively.
Douglas and his wife Dolores have three grown children: Peter, Susan and Anne.