LAURENCE BARTON, PH. D, NAMED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE New President to Helm “The Leader in Financial Services Education.”
The American College announced today that after an extensive search and interview process, Laurence Barton, Ph. D, has been named the eighth President of the College by the Board of Trustees. Barton will assume his new role at the College on July 1, 2003.
(PRWEB) June 13, 2003
BRYN MAWR, PA – June 13, 2003 – The American College announced today that after an extensive search and interview process, Laurence Barton, Ph. D, has been named the eighth President of the College by the Board of Trustees. Barton will assume his new role at the College on July 1, 2003.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Barton has agreed to join the College,” said Chuck Wright, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The American College. “His career in both the academic arena and in corporate leadership has been distinguished. The addition of Dr. Barton and the creative vision he brings to our institution will help insure the continued success of The American College in the 21st century.”
Prior to joining The American College, Barton served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Heald College, a not-for-profit institution with 11 campuses in California, Oregon and Hawaii. Heald College offers associate degrees in business and technology as well as various certification programs. Before this, Barton was President of DeVry University in Phoenix, Arizona. At both of these institutions, he was responsible for major curriculum innovations as well as enhancements to distance learning platforms.
From 1995-1999, Barton served as Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Motorola, Inc., where he led industry partnerships and public affairs strategies for one of the world's leading technology companies; managing regional teams in London, Geneva, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
A former professor of management and business at Pennsylvania State University Graduate Center at Great Valley, Barton was also a full-time lecturer in management communication at the Harvard Business School. He has also served on the faculties of Boston College and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Barton was named UNLV Teacher of the Year in the College of Business and Economics in 1992, ranking first out of 92 faculty members. He was also named the 1992 Ascendant Scholar of the Year by the Western Academy of Management.
Barton is the author of three textbooks devoted to enhancing and expanding studentÂ’s understanding of financial and business risk: Crisis In Organizations (1990: Thomson); Ethics: The Enemy in the Workplace (1995: Thomson); and Crisis in Organizations II (2001: Thomson). He received a coveted Senior Fulbright Scholarship to Japan from the U. S. Information Agency in 1987.
Barton is internationally renowned as one of the foremost specialists in risk and crisis management. As a consultant, he has helped world-class industry leading organizations, including British Petroleum, The Walt Disney Company, Honda, Exxon Mobil, and many others improve their business functions and strengthen their ability to anticipate and manage unexpected challenges. Barton has delivered keynote speeches and presentations at over 120 financial and academic conferences in nearly twenty countries, including conferences sponsored by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (2003), as well as past presentations to the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and to the Frost and Sullivan investment forums.
His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, and more than 40 academic journals worldwide. Barton has been interviewed on CNBC, NPR Marketplace and other network programs on issues related to financial services, business insurance and crisis prevention. He has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and other publications.
Barton is a native of Arlington, Massachusetts. He received an A. B., magna cum laude, from Boston College in speech and communications in 1978. In 1980, he graduated with a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Barton received his Ph. D. in international communications and public policy from Boston University in 1983.
Barton succeeds Dr. Samuel H. Weese, CLU, CPCU, who is retiring after serving 15 years as the President and CEO of the College. Weese is credited with returning the College to a sound financial position and leading its expansion beyond life insurance into the broader financial services industry. Most recently, he is credited with overseeing the completion of the 21st Century Endowment and Special Gifts Campaign, which resulted in $32 million in deferred and special gifts for the future of the institution.
The American College celebrated its 75th anniversary last year as the nationÂ’s oldest and largest academically accredited educational institution devoted exclusively to financial services. Located on a 35-acre campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the College serves over 35,000 working professional students, predominantly on a distance education basis. The American College offers an array of specialized designation programs, a Master of Science degree in financial services and customized continuing education programs for those pursuing a career in financial services. For more information, visit www. amercoll. edu.
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