Transition in Academic Leadership: McCoy to Serve as Interim Academic Dean

Eastern Nazarene College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Bill McCoy, Associate Professor of History and Associate Academic Dean, as Interim Academic Dean for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year, a role previously held by Dr. Bill Malas, who transitioned due to his return to the classroom as a professor of biblical literature.

Dr. Malas served capably in the role of Interim Academic Dean since December 2018, and the College is indebted to him for his gracious service. “I consider it a personal privilege to have been able to work closely with Bill since my arrival on campus,” stated President Connell. “We remain grateful for the continuity Dr. Malas maintained and the vast institutional knowledge he provided in a season of change and challenge.”

“Bill Malas has provided two years of exemplary leadership in the Academic Affairs Office, and I am immensely grateful for all that he has invested in this institution and in me personally. His dedication to the mission of this college should serve as an example for all of us. I am humbled by the responsibility of helping to carry that mission forward in the coming days. I am also mindful of just how relevant the mission of this college is, and I am excited to continue pursuing that mission alongside each and every one of you in the days to come,” Dr. McCoy expressed.

Dr. McCoy takes on the new interim role having been named Associate Academic Dean in June and having served in many administrative capacities since starting his journey at ENC as an adjunct professor in 2005. Dr. McCoy has been a faculty member in the Humanities Program for the past eleven years and has served as the Chair of the Division of General Education for five years. His most recent task was to complete and formalize ENC’s plan for academic instruction and re-opening this fall in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the Academic Leadership Team, Dr. McCoy helped generate a thoughtful and comprehensive academic plan which aided in the ongoing success for the start of this academic year.

“I am confident that he will provide excellent leadership to our faculty and academic offices and am grateful to him for his willingness to assume these expanded responsibilities,” said President Connell.

Dr. McCoy holds a B.A. in History from Point Loma University and an M.A. in African History from Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. in African History (Minor fields: Modern British History and in Anthropology) from Boston University. He resides in Quincy with his wife and two children.

The search for a permanent academic dean will resume this fall.