Doswell succeeds Snead as Rector
VCU’s new rector of the Board of Visitors, Dr. John C. Doswell, began his term on July 1.
Dr. John C. Doswell is the new Rector of VCU's Board of Visitors. Photo courtesy of VCU News.
Shannon Wood
Contributing Writer
This year’s freshmen aren’t the only people VCU welcomed to campus this summer. VCU’s new rector of the Board of Visitors, Dr. John C. Doswell, began his term on July 1.
The board elected Doswell on Feb. 9 to succeed Thomas Snead Jr., who had served as rector since July 2011.
The rector, who heads the board, is the highest executive of the university and the individual to whom VCU University President Michael Rao reports. It is the rector’s duty to appoint almost all the committees of the board and work closely with the school’s administration.
“I am enthusiastic about John’s leadership of the board as we work to advance VCU’s strategic plan, Quest for Distinction,” Rao said in a statement in July. “I am grateful for his energetic, creative and steadfast involvement with the university and I look forward to working together with such a dynamic, positive and forward-thinking alum.”
Doswell has been a member of the Board of Visitors since 2003 and has served on every committee of the board, including the Academic and Health Affairs Policy committee and the External and Alumni Relations Committee.
The VCU alumnus has served in numerous executive positions within the university, including president of the MCV Alumni Association of VCU and chair of the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees. He also chaired the Student Affairs, Athletics and International Programs and the Audit and Compliance committees.
“I cannot think of a more pivotal and exhilarating time to serve as rector of this board,” Doswell said in a VCU News release. “VCU has an unprecedented spot in the world of academia as a top urban, research university, with great potential and opportunities ahead, and I look forward to being a part of this vision and direction.”
In addition to his activity within the university, Doswell is a member of various professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, the Richmond Dental Society, the American Academy of Periodontology, the Virginia Dental Association and the Virginia Society of Periodontists.
Ugh…….