[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–William E. “Bill” Troutt, president of Belmont University since 1982, has been named as the new president of Rhodes College, Memphis, Tenn.
Troutt will begin duties at Rhodes on July 1, succeeding James H. Daughdrill, who retires June 30 after 26 years as president.
Over the last 17 years, Baptist affiliated Belmont, in Nashville, has experienced growth and development by increasing enrollment 75 percent, improving the average ACT scores of entering freshmen from 16 to 25, doubling the size of the campus through land acquisition, and establishing itself as a national leader in quality improvement.
Troutt, 49, who was the nation’s youngest college president in 1982, is chairman-elect of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and is a member of the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE).
In 1997, Troutt was named chairman of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. The commission’s findings and recommendations, which received both bipartisan congressional support and the endorsement of the higher education community, served as a guide for the Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1998.
“Dr. Bill Troutt is now part of the legacy of the great Tennessee Baptist idea,” said James Porch, TBC executive director/treasurer. “He came to the position as president of Belmont University to build on the mature vision of Dr. R. Kelly White and the courage and dedication of Baptist statesman, Dr. Herbert C. Gabhart.
“Today, the expanded size of the student body and wide range of curriculum and degree programs at Belmont are directly related to Bill Troutt’s organizational skills and hard work,” Porch said. “My prayer and hope is that during the next presidential era Belmont University and the Tennessee Baptist Convention will together nurture a mutual and strong relationship in which to offer quality, liberal arts education in a Christian atmosphere.”