Southern Methodist University humanities and sciences dean William Tsutsui will become the 11th president of Hendrix College in June, the school's board of trustees announced Friday.
He will replace J. Timothy Cloyd, who resigned in February after having served as president of Hendrix since 2001. W. Ellis Arnold III, the college’s executive vice president, general counsel and dean of advancement, will continue to serve as acting president in the interim, the school said in a statement.
Tsutsui specializes in modern Japanese business and economic history and has published books on topics as varied as banking policy and the silver-screen monster Godzilla, according to SMU's website.
Before landing at SMU, Tsutsui served as associate dean for international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. He holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., a master of letters in modern Japanese history from Oxford University’s Corpus Christi College in Oxford, England, and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in history from Princeton University in New Jersey.
“I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve as President of Hendrix,” Tsutsui said in the statement. “Today, despite the challenges faced by all liberal arts colleges, Hendrix holds an enviable position. Your Hendrix Odyssey has clearly energized the campus and provided focus, identity, and national profile in a crowded academic marketplace. I firmly believe that Hendrix is well prepared for the challenges ahead and I look forward to working with the trustees, faculty, staff, and students to make a real contribution to Hendrix’s future.”
Your Hendrix Odyssey is an active-learning program that aims to tie classroom teachings to real-life experience through internships, international study, research and service, according to the college's website.
Tsutsui’s wife, Marjorie Swann, who holds a Ph.D. in 17th century British literature from Oxford University’s Corpus Christi College, will join the Hendrix faculty in the English department.