WS Chronicle

Salem Academy and College announced today that current Interim Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of the College Susan Henking, Ph.D. will become interim president when President Sandra Doran leaves at the end of the 2020 academic year. Professor of Religion, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Richard Vinson, Ph.D. will assume the role of interim vice president for Academic and Student Affairs.

“We had to look no further than Salem’s campus to find a highly qualified interim president in Susan Henking,” Salem Board of Trustees Chair McDara P. Folan III said. “Susan cares deeply about Salem’s students and faculty and will be able to transition to interim president with an uninterrupted flow of outstanding leadership for Salem Academy and College. The board is equally thrilled that Richard Vinson will step up to fill the role currently held by Susan.”

Henking is president emerita of Shimer College, where she became president in 2012. In addition, Henking is professor emerita of religious studies of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she also served as an advisor to the board of trustees. She received a Ph.D. in 1988 from the University of Chicago Divinity School in Religion and Psychological Studies, an M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a B.A. from Duke University.

“I look forward to serving this community—College and Academy—as we move toward our next 250 years,” Henking said. “In my time here, I have learned how special Salem is and how crucial it is to the Winston-Salem of tomorrow. I can imagine no better person to work with going forward than Richard Vinson.”

A native of Alabama, Vinson came to Salem in 2008 to become part of the Religion Department’s faculty. He became an administrator in 2012 but continues to teach Greek, Latin, and religion. Vinson received a Ph.D. from Duke University, a M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and B.A. and M.A. degrees from Samford University.