Wayne Thomas has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tusculum College.
Thomas has served as interim dean since July 2014, and formerly as chair of the Department of Fine Arts and as associate professor of English. He also served as the chair of the English Department. He joined Tusculum College in 2005 and not only continuously worked to serve his students and grow his departments but also built several strong arts and humanities programs that have become part of the college’s culture.
“Under the leadership of Mr. Thomas, many students have successfully published, graduated and been admitted to graduate programs,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College. “Through the guidance of Mr. Thomas and other faculty members, many Tusculum students have received scholarships and built relationships to pursue advanced degrees at a wide array of colleges and universities, including Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, California Arts Institute, Chicago Institute of Art and the University of Central Florida.”
After being named the college’s first chair of the Fine Arts Department, Thomas was instrumental in the resurrection of the tradition of the Old Oak Festival, working to bring it back with a focus on fine arts, music, theater and writing.
Wayne Thomas
During his time with the English Department, Thomas coordinated the annual Humanities Lecture Series, bringing guest authors to campus not only to share their works but also to meet with students and share their professional experiences through small panel sessions. He has previously served as editor of “The Tusculum Review,” overseeing the student-driven production of the college’s literary journal.
“I’m honored to serve our institution and President Moody in this capacity. Tusculum is a place you go to for community, individual growth and civic engagement,” said Thomas. “It’s these things that remind us of how one small college in the northeast Tennessee foothills plays such important roles in a world that needs more empathy, commitment to good and diversity of thought.”
Thomas’ essays, stories and plays have been seen in several literary journals and anthologies, including “Sudden Stories: The Mammoth Book of Miniscule Fiction” and “River Teeth.” In addition, he co-edited an anthology of Appalachian literature, “Red Holler.”
Thomas holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre history and literary criticism from Georgia College, a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing/scriptwriting from Georgia College and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing/fiction and nonfiction from West Virginia University.
Thomas is the 2012 recipient of Tusculum College’s Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award. He also received the alumni-presented National Living Faculty Award for dedicated service to students in 2013.