March 29, 2024

McClurken Named Special Advisor to the President

To Members of the UMW Community, 

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey W. McClurken to the position of Special Advisor to the President, effective July 25, 2017.  Dr. McClurken is Professor of History and American Studies and also currently serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for Teaching, Technology, and Innovation.  He was selected through an internal search process that invited applications from full-time UMW teaching faculty. 

Jeff received his B.A. from Mary Washington College in 1994 and subsequently earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Johns Hopkins University.  He began teaching at Mary Washington in 1999.  In 2012, Professor McClurken received UMW’s J. Christopher “Topher” Bill service award in recognition of outstanding faculty service.  He received the 2014 Outstanding Faculty Award in the area of Teaching with Technology from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. 

Professor McClurken has served UMW in a variety of capacities.  Among these, he has been chair of the Department of History and American Studies, a member of the Alumni Board, and chair of the President’s Technology Advisory Council.  In his current role as Special Assistant to the Provost, he oversees the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies, the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation, the Digital Knowledge Center, and the operations of the Hurley Convergence Center. 

Jeff is an accomplished scholar, with numerous publications and extensive professional activity to his credit.  He is a nationally recognized leader in the field of digital humanities and a frequent presenter at digital learning conferences and workshops throughout the country. 

In his new role as Special Advisor to the President, Dr. McClurken will report to me and will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.  Among his duties, he will provide advice and counsel on the strategic direction of the University, serve as Clerk and liaison to the Board of Visitors, and represent the University to the external community.  Jeff will also continue to teach each year and will maintain a role in strategic oversight of digital learning initiatives. 

I appreciate Jeff’s continuing commitment to the University of Mary Washington and look forward to working with him in this new capacity. 

Troy D. Paino, J.D., Ph.D.

President