Richard A. Detweiler, Ph.D. is the founder and managing director of HigherEdImpact, an initiative working with colleges and universities inside and outside the United States that seek to advance the common good by educating people for lives of consequence, wisdom, and accomplishment. He also holds an appointment as a foundation fellow at Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College. Rick is a social psychologist specializing in intercultural relations with advanced degrees from Princeton University (M.A., 1972 and Ph.D. 1973).
He is president emeritus of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA), an alliance of selective, independent, colleges and universities, and the founder of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance, a union of 30 institutions committed to strengthening education in the tradition of the liberal arts. Previously he was a distinguished fellow and interim president of the Council on Library and Information Resources in Washington, DC; president and professor of psychology at Hartwick College in New York where he is president emeritus; and vice president and professor of psychology at Drew University in New Jersey. He served as Peace Corps volunteer in the Eastern Caroline Islands from 1968-70, and subsequently as a Peace Corps trainer. Professionally he has been an active researcher, consultant, and author in higher education, institutional planning and research, intercultural relations, international education, and psychology. He has published dozens of articles related to higher education, psychology, and intercultural relations, and speaks frequently on issues related to the future of higher education and the values of the liberal arts. He was a founding dean of the higher education Frye Leadership Institute, and has served as a board member of many higher education organizations. His forthcoming book reporting on the character and methods of liberal arts education and research on its impact will be available in 2020.