SWU restructures, appoints deans
Southern Wesleyan University’s deans, from left, include Dr. Jeff Moore, Dr. Walt Sinnamon and Dr. Fred Woodworth.
After two years of intensive dialogue and planning, Southern Wesleyan University has implemented a new organizational structure, according to President David Spittal.
The university’s new structure is designed to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world, he said. It integrates a traditional academic structure with an interactive team approach and is designed to remove barriers between academic departments and promote open collaboration between administrative departments.
“It is very apparent that the emerging demands upon higher education require colleges and universities to respond more rapidly to changes in our world,” Dr. Spittal said. “In doing so, the university will be able to meet the needs of its students now and in the future. This new organizational structure will provide a more integrated team-based approach for university planning, programming and accountability.”
Prior to the implementation of this plan and following a national search, Dr. Keith Iddings was appointed provost and academic vice president. He serves as the chief academic officer of the university and reports to the president.
The revised structure created the College of Arts and Sciences, which includes five academic divisions, headed by Dr. Walt Sinnamon as dean. Dr. Jeff Moore was appointed as dean of the School of Business and Dr. Fred Woodworth serves as dean of the School of Education. Each dean reports to the provost and is responsible for faculty leadership and for the development of undergraduate and graduate programs, Spittal said.
Dr. Sinnamon said he looks forward to addressing the challenges of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I am appreciative of the confidence that has been placed in me and am looking forward to the possibility of revamping existing programs and developing new programs to promote academic excellence and better serve our communities,” Sinnamon said.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology from Houghton College and his doctorate in zoology from Clemson University. Sinnamon has taught at Southern Wesleyan University since 1982. His positions have included assistant professor of biology, coordinator of a cooperative program with Clemson University, director of Research for Leadership Education for Adult Professionals, associate professor of biology, grant proposal coordinator, associate director of planning, special assistant to the president for institutional effectiveness, professor of biology and chair of the Division of Science.
Dr. Moore is enthusiastic about the School of Business working with community members to build bridges for internships.
“God is doing exciting work in business in developing organizations based on virtue instead of organizations based on survival. I am delighted to be part of a team of men and women who are pursuing God in a practical transformational way, impacting their communities,” Moore said.
His education includes a bachelor’s degree in French from Whitworth College; and a master’s and then a doctorate degree in business administration, both from the Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis in southern France.
Moore began teaching at Southern Wesleyan University in 2006. Before that, he was assistant professor of business administration and director of Off Campus Programs at Houghton College. Moore was also the founder and director of the Christian Small Business Center, a partnership between World Vision International and the Nazarene Church in Bucharest, Romania. He was also part of the development team for KAPA, a revolving loan bank in Bucharest that was a partnership between World Vision International and USAID.
Dr. Woodworth said that the centennial year for Southern Wesleyan University is an especially exciting time for the institution to announce such a change.
“I am honored to have been selected as the first dean of the School of Education under the revised organizational structure of the university,” Woodworth said. “I am humbled at the fact that leadership of the School of Education has in the past been under the direction of individuals who built from its foundation a program which trained young people who have consistently demonstrated exemplarily teaching practice throughout the state and around the nation.
“The School of Education is currently pursuing accreditation under the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education,” Woodworth added. “It is a privilege to work with highly qualified Christian educators who are not only committed to Christian higher education but who also understand the need to have highly qualified professional educators who demonstrate a Christian ethic of care in this nation’s classrooms.”
Woodworth earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Nazarene College; his bachelor’s in education from the University of New Brunswick; his master’s in education from the University of New Brunswick; and his doctorate in special education from the University of Connecticut.
He was a public school teacher in New Brunswick, Canada, for 33 years and has been at Southern Wesleyan University since 1995. In that time, he has served as professor of numerous education and philosophy courses both at the undergraduate and graduate level. He has served as director of field placement and chair of the Division of Education.
Woodworth is a presenter at numerous conferences and workshops focusing primarily on the education of gifted and talented youth. He continues to teach a course in the education of gifted and talented youth in the M.Ed. program at Southern Wesleyan University during the summer months. Also, he has served as president of the S.C. Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and president of the South Carolina Council of Independent Schools of Teacher Education.