Augusta, GA—Augusta State University President William A. Bloodworth, Jr., has been elected president-elect of the national Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi , the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. He will serve as president-elect for three years and succeed to the presidency of the national honor society in 2010. The election occurred at the triennial conference of the organization in Orlando, Fla., August 9-11.
Phi Kappa Phi has chapters on nearly 300 college and university campuses. Since its founding in 1897, more than a million members have been initiated, with about 30,000 being inducted each year. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. Dr. Bloodworth was elected to Phi Kappa Phi membership by the East Carolina University chapter in 1986, and he served on the national Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship Committee from 1991 to 1997.
Dr. Bloodworth has served 14 years as Augusta State’s president. During his tenure, he has overseen more than $95 million in new construction, the addition of student housing, a record enrollment, and a change in the institution from being a senior college to a state university.
He has served on many local boards, including the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce, Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, CSRA Business Lending, and Communities in Schools. Dr. Bloodworth is a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta and has served as president of the Peach Belt Conference and as president of the Georgia Association of Colleges.
He is the author of two books, Max Brand and Upton Sinclair, and numerous articles on American literature, including the literature of the American West and the literature of Native Americans, in such journals as Western American Literature, South Dakota Quarterly, and the Journal of American Culture. He has also authored book chapters and entries in references books as well as reviews of books about American literature and literary criticism, folklore, Native American studies, American history, and journalism.
Before joining Augusta State in 1993, he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central Missouri State University. He also served at East Carolina University and the University of Texas at Austin. A native Texan, Dr. Bloodworth began his teaching career in the Texas public school system.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and education from Texas Lutheran University, a master’s degree in English from Lamar University in Beaumont, and a doctorate in American civilization from the University of Texas at Austin. He also attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
He is married to Julia Rankin Bloodworth, who works as guardian ad litem for child custody cases in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. The Bloodworths have two children. Their daughter, Nicole, is a graduate of North Carolina State University, and their son, Paul, is a graduate of Augusta State University.
Popularity: 36% [?]
