Meet the Kazees
Photo courtesy of Gray Photography
Tom Kazee is the University of Evansville's 23rd President. Before coming to UE, he served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Furman University.
Prior to his arrival at Furman in 2003, Kazee served for 18 years on the faculty at Davidson College, including a decade as Chair of the Department of Political Science, and four years as Dean of the College at the University of the South (Sewanee). He received a B.A. in political science from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, in 1974, and a Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University in 1978.
As the author of numerous journal articles and editor of Who Runs for Congress: Ambition, Context and Candidate Emergence, his work has been influential in shaping an understanding of American congressional election outcomes. A passionate advocate for the liberal arts, Tom won Davidson's prestigious Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award, chaired one of Davidson's most highly regarded academic departments, and served as NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative.
At Sewanee, Tom led the college's 130-member faculty and directed the academic curriculum. During his time there, he coordinated a successful effort to substantially revise policies defining faculty roles, was instrumental in developing strategic plans for enrollment and renovation of academic buildings, and helped design and raise funds for a library-based academic technology center.
As Provost and Executive Vice President at Furman, he is chief academic officer and supervises the work of Vice Presidents and Directors in various offices, including Enrollment, Student Life, Computing and Information Services, Sustainability, Grants Administration, and Institutional Research. He served as Acting President during the 2006-07 academic year, and has been directly involved in fundraising for Furman's $400 million capital campaign, "Furman Matters," which has raised $304 million to this point. His efforts have led to substantial donations to support Furman's nationally-recognized Asian Studies program, faculty development activities, and new science technology, as well as two major new scholarship programs, including a $14 million gift from the Duke Endowment to create the Townes Scholars program.
Under his leadership, Furman has invigorated its intellectual community by fundamentally reshaping its curriculum and academic calendar. Implemented in the 2008-09 academic year, elements of the curriculum include innovative new first-year seminars, a unique May Experience program, and substantially revised general education requirements. Tom also led the planning, assisted with fundraising, and oversaw construction of Furman's distinctive new Charles H. Townes Center for Science, dedicated in October 2008.
He co-chairs the Sustainability Planning Council that recently produced Sustainable Furman, a far-reaching plan for energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy sources, and integration of sustainability into Furman's curriculum. He has led successful efforts to build a more diverse faculty and is now working with faculty leadership to develop policies that more appropriately recognize and support contingent faculty.
Tom is married to Sharon Kazee, the Vice President for Arts and Academics and Dean at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, who is currently completing her doctoral work at the University of South Carolina. They have two children; a daughter, Nicole, who is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a son, Geoff, who will begin work this summer as a turf management specialist at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland.
Sharon Kazee is the Dean and Vice President for Arts and Academics at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.
An educator for over 30 years, Mrs. Kazee recently was named the 2010 Administrator of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Librarians ñ a distinction given for her professional excellence, collaboration, and leadership. The honor came as recognition of a career that has included teaching both instrumental and vocal music, and service as an administrator both at the school and the district level.
Prior to working at the Governor's School, Mrs. Kazee was the Fine Arts Coordinator with Greenville County Schools, and was previously the Curriculum Specialist for Performing Arts with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Ben Craig First Union Teacher of the Year Award for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, the South Carolina Art Education Association's Distinguished Art Advocate (2008) and the South Carolina Alliance for Arts Education's Leadership Award (2009). Recently, Mrs. Kazee was named one of Greenville Talk Magazine's 25 Most Beautiful Women.
Mrs. Kazee serves on several local, state, and national boards of directors, including the Greater Greenville Chamber Board of Governors, the Greenville Arts in Public Places Commission, the SC Arts Alliance, the SC Alliance for Arts Education, the Arts in Basic Curriculum Steering Committee, and the Arts Schools Network. Her experience includes teaching music courses at Converse College, the University of the South, Wingate College, and Davidson College. Mrs. Kazee is an oboist, having performed with organizations such as the Cleveland Women's Orchestra, the Cleveland Philharmonic, and the Salisbury, N.C. Symphony. She is currently working on her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of South Carolina.
