| Thayne McCulloh, D.Phil. (Oxon) | |
|---|---|
| President of Gonzaga University | |
| Term | July 16, 2010 – Present |
| Predecessor | Robert Spitzer, S.J. |
| Interim President of Gonzaga University | |
| Term | July 15, 2009 – July 16, 2010 |
| Predecessor | Robert Spitzer, S.J. |
| Born | August 20, 1964 Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | Gonzaga University Oxford University |
| Profession | Academic, psychologist, academic administrator |
| Spouse | Julie McCulloh |
| Children | 3 |
Thayne Martin McCulloh, D.Phil (Oxon), (born August 20, 1964) is an American social psychologist and academic administrator. McCulloh became the interim president of Gonzaga University on July 15, 2009, following the retirement of Robert Spitzer, S.J..[1] On July 16, 2010, McCulloh was appointed President of Gonzaga University, becoming the university's first regularly elected lay (i.e., non-clergy) president.[2]
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McCulloh was born in Los Angeles, raised in Claremont, California, Washington D.C., and Seattle.[1] He attended Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle, Washington and following graduation served a three year enlistment in the U.S. Army as a food service sergeant. He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Gonzaga University in 1989.[2] As a student, he served as Gonzaga's student body president during his senior year.[2]
In 1989, McCulloh was admitted to study for the master of science degree in experimental psychology at Oxford University, England.[2] A member of Wolfson College, Oxford, McCulloh conducted research under the supervision of British social psychologist Michael Argyle, D.Sc., and his academic advisor was experimental psychologist Donald E. Broadbent. McCulloh's area of research involved evaluating the power of the social context in gender stereotyping. Other faculty and colleagues with whom he worked include well-known psychologist Peter Collett, and British Green Party politician Mike Woodin. In 1998, he was granted the degree of doctor of philosophy in experimental social psychology from Oxford University,[2] and elected to membership in the American Psychological Association.
He is married to Julie McCulloh. The couple have three daughters, Kathryne, Anne and Emily.[3]
McCulloh joined Gonzaga's staff in 1990, initially serving as a student affairs administrator. He taught psychology part-time for a number of years while serving in a variety of administrative positions, including dean of student academic services, dean of student financial services, associate academic vice president, and vice president for administration and planning.[2] McCulloh also served as the interim academic vice president from 2007 until becoming interim president in 2009.[2] During his tenure, he worked on a number of institutional projects including implementation of an integrated computing information system, the development of new campus housing, chairing the decennial regional accreditation self-study and development of a new institutional strategic plan.
Father Robert Spitzer announced his intention to step down as President of Gonzaga in 2008 after 10 years in office.[1] McCulloh, who was serving as interim academic vice president at the time, was appointed as interim president of the university by Gonzaga's board of trustees on April 17, 2009, until a permanent replacement for Spitzer could be found.[1] McCulloh's appointment as interim president was effective on July 15, 2009.[1]
Gonzaga's board of trustees spent nearly two years engaged in the process of identifying an appropriate successor president. As with many Jesuit universities, Gonzaga's bylaws specifically state that the president of the university must be a Jesuit.[3] However, in 2010 the university's board of members voted to suspend the bylaws requiring that the president be a Jesuit; this decision in turn created the option for the trustees to name McCulloh as president.[2]
McCulloh was elevated from interim president to president of Gonzaga by the board of trustees on July 16, 2010.[2] His promotion made McCulloh the university's first permanent, non-Jesuit to hold the office in Gonzaga's history.[2] (Harry Sladich, a lay academic administrator, had previously served as president for two terms, but in an acting, interim basis).[2]