Athens State University is pleased to announce that Dr. C. David Ragsdale will become the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, effective August 12, 2022. “We welcome Dr. Ragsdale to the Athens State community. He emerged from an outstanding field of candidates for this prestigious position and his expertise in building strong programs and signature events made him an ideal choice,” commented Dr. Catherine Wehlburg, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
In preparation for starting this position, Dr. Ragsdale said, “I am thrilled to join the exceptional faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences at Athens State. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue to build rich educational opportunities for all of our students.”
Dr. Ragsdale will be coming to Athens State University from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he has served as Chair of the Department of Music and Theatre. Under his leadership, the Department enjoyed a strong reputation within the region for its quality faculty and programs, as well as its immersion in the community through robust public programming initiatives in the arts, such as the Constellation Concert Series and the university’s signature event, Peace on Earth. The Department of Music, an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, was recently one of ten schools named by Yamaha Corporation of America as a 2021 “Institution of Excellence.”
Dr. Ragsdale sits on the Board of Directors for ArtsHuntsville, the Board of Trustees for the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and serves the National Association of Schools of Music as a Visiting Evaluator for its Commission on Accreditation and Vice Chair of NASM Region 8. In 2017, he received the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence and in 2015, was named the UAH College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Professor of the Year. Dr. Ragsdale holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Appalachian State University (NC), a Master of Music degree from Winthrop University (SC), and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami (FL).