Robert R. Davila
Dr. Robert Davila served as the ninth president of Gallaudet University,[1][2] the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. His appointment came after the wake of the Unity for Gallaudet Movement protests of 2006,[3] when many students, staff, and alumni objected to the initial choice of Jane Fernandes as the intended next president.[4][5] It was originally intended that he serve only 18–24 months as an interim-president, but the Board dropped the interim designation and then extended his contract to 36 months.
Early life
Robert Davila was born in southern California to Mexican-American parents who worked in fields and orchards. At age eleven, he contracted spinal meningitis and became deaf.[6] When his mother learned about a school for the deaf in northern California, she sent him alone on a journey to the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley (which later moved to California School for the Deaf, Fremont).
Education
Davila graduated from Gallaudet University, with a Bachelor's in Education. He then went to Hunter College with a Master's in Special Education. To complete his education, he attended and graduated from Syracuse University with a Ph.D. in Educational Technology. He also has received honorary degrees from Gallaudet, RIT, Stonehill College, and Hunter College.[2][7]
Professional career
Davila served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the US Department of Education from 1989 to 1993 during the administration of George H.W. Bush.[8][7] Educationally, Dr. Davila has experience teaching high school math, being an assistant principal, serving as a K-12 superintendent. He worked as professor, a college administrator and Vice President of Gallaudet University in the 1970s and '80s. He was headmaster of the New York School for the Deaf at White Plains 1993 to 1996 as well as CEO of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf 1996 from 2006.[7] On December 10, 2006, Davila was named the ninth President of Gallaudet,[9] enacted at the start of 2007.[2][9] He stepped down as president on December 31, 2009 and was succeeded by Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz.
See also
- Deaf Culture
- Deaf President Now (1988)
References
- ↑ Presidents & Terms - Gallaudet University
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 About Dr. Robert R. Davila - Gallaudet University
- ↑ Inside Gallaudet - Gallaudet University
- ↑ No-Confidence Vote for Gallaudet Leader
- ↑ NPR: Fernandes Vows to Fight for Presidency of Gallaudet
- ↑ Lang, Harry G., Cohen, Oscar P. and Joseph E. Fischgrund. 2007. Moments of Truth: Robert R. Davila, the Story of a Deaf Leader. Rochester, NY: RIT Press, p. 17
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Robert Davila
- ↑ "Davila fills Department of Education post," Gallaudet Today, Fall 1989, pp. 35-36.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Gallaudet University
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Madeleine Will |
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 1989–1993 |
Succeeded by Judith Heumann |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by William E. Castle |
Vice President of RIT for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf 1996–2003 |
Succeeded by T. Alan Hurwitz |
| Preceded by I. King Jordan |
President of Gallaudet University January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2009 |
Succeeded by T. Alan Hurwitz |
|