Douglas C. Bennett
Douglas C. Bennett (born 1946) is the immediate past president of Earlham College, located in Richmond, Indiana. He was installed as president in 1996. Since 1997, Bennett had also been a member of the political science department at Earlham.
Background and career
Bennett grew up in Rochester, New York and graduated from Haverford College in 1968. He obtained his M.Phil and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. Bennett taught political science at Temple University from 1973 to 1989, before becoming the president of Earlham College. He credits Gerhard Spiegler as his inspiration to become a college president.
Media attention
Bennett has become known throughout the state of Indiana for dismissing the majority of the board of directors of Conner Prairie in June 2003, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Earlham College. This action precipitated involvement from Indiana's attorney general leading to a split between the two organizations including a division of a substantial endowment established by philanthropist Eli Lilly.
