Richard Durst

Richard Durst serves as the eighth president of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio He became president in 2006.

Childhood and education

Richard Durst was born on August 31, 1945 in Scottsbluff Hospital in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to parents Wayne Durst and Pearle Jenson Durst. His parents had a cattle ranch in Harrisburg, Nebraska. However, Richard spent most of his childhood living with his grandparents in Kansas City, Missouri. Richard Durst served four years in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Durst is a graduate of Missouri Western State College [University] and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma in Scenery Design for Theatre. He and his wife, Karen, were married in 1974 in Norman, Oklahoma. They have two children together: Amanda Durst and Derek Durst. His interests and hobbies include golf, traveling, and pool. Richard is also a painter, architect, and carpenter.

Career

Durst was Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture and executive director of University Arts Services at the Pennsylvania State University (2000-2006). Before that, he was Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts (1996-2000) and Special Assistant to the Chancellor (1997-2000) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Dean of the School of Fine Arts (1979-1996) at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Prior to that he was a faculty member and department head at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Prior to assuming the Presidency of Baldwin-Wallace College, he served as Executive Director of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans. He is a past president of United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and the International Organization of Designers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT) whose world headquarters were in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

BW facts

*Durst is the first president of Baldwin-Wallace College since 1981 not to hold a Ph.D, however, his MFA is a terminal degree. The last president to have not earned a Ph.D was Alfred Bryan Bonds, whose doctorates were honoris causa.
*Durst is only the second president in college history not to hold a degree in divinity, or be a Methodist minister, which is the college's religious affiliation.
*Durst is the first president to have a fine arts background.
*Durst is the third president affiliated with a Big Ten university (faculty and dean at Penn State and the University of Minnesota), the others were Albert Boynton Storms (student at Michigan), and Arthur Breslich (student at Wisconsin).