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Hampden-Sydney College has a new dean. The school announced this week that Timothy Diette will take on the role of dean of the faculty following a national search. Diette comes to Hampden-Sydney from Washington and Lee University, where he serves as executive director and academic director of the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, a 19-member consortium of colleges and universities. 

An economics professor at Washington and Lee since 2004, Diette brings significant leadership experience and talent from several administrative roles working with a broad set of stakeholders to advance institutional priorities. Diette has directed curricular and co-curricular planning and innovation, led strategic planning and re-accreditation efforts, cultivated philanthropic support, and managed budgets.

In addition to his work with Washington and Lee’s Department of Economics and Shepherd Consortium, Dr. Diette has served as a visiting research scholar at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne, and as a visiting research fellow with the Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University.

A POINT OF VIEW

“Tim brings a point of view about the future of liberal arts colleges and universities,” said President Larry Stimpert. “He has a deep appreciation for Hampden-Sydney College’s distinctive mission, history, and legacy, and especially our College’s commitment to character development. He understands how to build consensus and collaboration around a common vision and I look forward to the leadership perspective and experience he will contribute to Hampden-Sydney. My colleagues on the College’s leadership team and I are eager to begin working with Tim as we pursue an exciting and ambitious future for the College.”

Prior to his current role, Diette served on Washington and Lee’s senior leadership team as senior advisor to the president for strategic analysis. Diette’s administrative experience also includes serving as associate dean of the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics and as acting head of the Department of Economics at Washington and Lee.

“I could not be more excited to be joining the Hampden-Sydney College community,” Diette said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty and staff members, students, President Stimpert and the rest of the senior leadership team, and the Board of Trustees in building on the positive momentum at Hampden-Sydney and continuing to provide an extraordinary liberal arts education.”

TRANSFORMING LIVES

“I’m proud to take up Hampden-Sydney’s mission of transforming the lives of young men,” Dr. Diette added. “The intimate residential environment creates distinctive opportunities to build relationships and integrate curricular and co-curricular offerings to develop the whole man.”

The search committee was chaired by Associate Professor of English Cristine Varholy and Elliott Associate Professor of Psychology Ivo Gyurovski ’09.

“Upon the initial review of applications, the committee was unanimously impressed with Dr. Diette’s remarkable credentials,” Dr. Varholy and Dr. Gyurovski said. “Our meetings and conversations during the hiring process brought additional light to his professionalism, collaborative approach, affable demeanor, and wide knowledge of H-SC. Members of the hiring committee were pleased to note the strong support Diette garnered from the members of our community during his campus visit. His energy and enthusiasm make him an invaluable addition to our administration at a pivotal time of opportunity.”

Diette received his B.A. in Economics and History at the University of Vermont, where he graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Diette will assume his new role on January 1, 2024. He succeeds Dr. Walter C. “Mike” McDermott III, who will return to teaching full-time in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in January after more than seven years of dedicated service as dean of the faculty.