Elizabethtown College News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/2/06
Contact: Mary Dolheimer, director of marketing and media relations, 717-361-1587, dolheimerm@etown.edu
E-town College president receives Alumni Achievement Award from Capital University
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Elizabethtown College president Theodore Long recently received an Alumni Achievement Award from Capital University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and philosophy in 1965 and serves as a trustee.
Long was one of two recipients of the Award, given to honor an individual who has not only excelled in his or her career, but also has made a significant contribution to their profession, their community, Capital University and/or their church.
Prior to coming to Elizabethtown as president in 1996, Long served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Massachusetts’ Merrimack College, where he led the development of a strategic plan, introduced seven new academic programs, strengthened the quality of the faculty and student body, and increased enrollments. Earlier he taught sociology at George Washington University, Hollins University and Washington and Jefferson College.
During Long’s tenure at Elizabethtown, the College has completed a strategic plan and a master facilities and land use plan that has included a new campus center, the James B. Hoover Center for Business (to be completed in 2006) and the Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering (to be completed in 2007). Strategic initiatives have included 15 new programs, among them the Elizabethtown College Honors Program (sponsored by The Hershey Company), the College’s first master’s degree (in occupational therapy) and a revised core curriculum. In addition, the College made significant strides in faculty development, diversity and multicultural affairs, and information technology.
Long earned a master’s degree in sociology from Duke University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Virginia. In addition, he attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents. As a scholar, he has published articles on religious movements, religion and politics, social change, socialization and religious conversion. His articles and reviews have appeared in journals such as Sociological Theory, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Sociology of Religion, Sociological Focus and Contemporary Sociology. He has also written chapters for volumes such as “The Handbook on Cults and Sects in America,” “Religion and Global Order” and “The Politics of Religion and Social Change.”
Long has served as chair of the Board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania and led its strategic planning committee in 2004-05. He has also chaired the boards of the Pennsylvania Campus Compact and Brethren Colleges Abroad. He serves on the boards of the Elizabethtown Economic Development Corporation, the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, the United Way of Lancaster County, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and the Fulton Opera House. He is active in the movement to promote civic engagement among colleges and their students, as well as the Council of Independent Colleges and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In the Lancaster region, Long is a frequent speaker at churches and civic organizations, and writes periodic op-ed pieces on higher education.
Long is married to Betty Grube Long, also a graduate of Capital, who recently completed a Master of Arts in Religion at Gettysburg Seminary with an emphasis on the study of missions. She is active in community affairs, serving on the boards of Gretna Music and Communities that Care.
At Elizabethtown College -- central Pennsylvania’s premier small, comprehensive college -- 1800 men and women enjoy personal attention, breadth of curriculum, experiential learning and a commitment to serving others. Elizabethtown has been ranked for 12 consecutive years by “U.S. News and World Report” as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the North.
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