Middlebury College President John M. McCardell Jr. has been named as the new chair of the Division III Presidents Council. McCardell has been a member of the Council since 2001.

McCardell was named the 15th president of Middlebury in 1992, becoming only the second president in the almost 200-year history of the college to be chosen from the ranks of the faculty.

McCardell, who still is a professor of history at Middlebury, has been a member of the faculty at the school since 1976. He was dean for academic development and planning, dean of faculty, provost, and vice-president for academic affairs before becoming acting president and then president of the college.

McCardell's academic specialty is United States history in the 19th century with special emphasis on the Old South and on American historiography, the study of the techniques of historical research and writing.

He has led a strategic-planning effort for Middlebury that has produced a 10-year plan for the college. In his "Vision for Middlebury College," McCardell has articulated a case for what he has called "peaks of conspicuous excellence" in language, literature, international studies and environmental studies, and he has developed a plan for committing new resources to those chosen strengths. He also has led a successful capital campaign that exceeded its goal of $200 million by almost $12 million. In 2001, McCardell was named "Vermonter of the Year" by the Burlington Free Press.

A graduate of Washington and Lee University, McCardell did his graduate work at Johns Hopkins University and then at Harvard University, where he earned his doctorate in history in 1976. In 1997, McCardell received a doctor of literature from Washington and Lee.

In addition to the appointment of McCardell, Simpson College President R. Kevin LaGree has been named as the new vice-chair of the Council. LaGree has been a member of the group since 2001.

Before coming to Simpson, LaGree was dean of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

He has lectured and taught in Europe, South Korea and throughout the United States. His recent research, teaching and lecturing has focused on leadership and legal issues in higher education.

LaGree is a member of the board of directors of In Trust Inc., in Washington, D.C., and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.

He graduated from the University of Kansas with distinction with a bachelor of arts degree in history. He earned a juris doctorate at Harvard Law School and practiced law for several years in Kansas City, Missouri. LaGree then earned a master of divinity with honors at Saint Paul School of Theology, where he received numerous awards for academic distinction.