JBU Names Norwood VP for Academic Affairs
SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (May 10, 2023) – John Brown University has named Robert Norwood, Ph.D., as the university's next vice president for academic affairs.
As of June 1, Norwood will be responsible for the overall leadership of the faculty and academic administration, encouraging excellence in scholarship, teaching, advising, institutional service, Christian discipleship, curriculum and program development, institutional research, student academic success services, library services, external accreditation and all other programs or services related to the academic mission of the university.
Norwood will also serve on the President’s Cabinet, an eight-person team that works with JBU President Chip Pollard to set the strategic direction for JBU and oversee and implement planning, major initiatives and policies.
“Dr. Norwood's extensive experience and outstanding contributions to our university make him an excellent choice for this critical role,” Pollard said. “Having served JBU for 14 years in academic administration, Rob has demonstrated his expertise, unwavering commitment, and faithfulness to the entire JBU community. He will excel in this new role, and I look forward to working with him.”
Norwood has served at JBU since 1998 and has been in the Office of Academic Affairs since 2009, first as the dean of undergraduate studies and then as associate vice president for academic administration. Norwood has been a key academic administrator for all on-campus undergraduate, online undergraduate, and graduate programs, with responsibilities including faculty evaluation, course evaluation, institutional assessment, oversight of the core curriculum, and state authorizations.
Since 2007, Norwood has also been JBU’s primary contact with the institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission and has served on many HLC peer review teams.
“I’m very excited about the opportunities the new role will provide to continue working with the wonderful faculty and staff at JBU as we prepare students to honor God and serve others," said Norwood.
Norwood holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,400 students from 33 states and 44 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.
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