APU Names Dean of New Honors College

Azusa Pacific University President Jon R. Wallace, DBA, announced the appointment of Glendora resident David L. Weeks, Ph.D., as dean of the new Honors College. He begins on July 1.

“I can think of no one more inherently qualified and committed to the vision for APU’s Honors College than Dr. Weeks,” said Wallace. “In this important position, he will advance APU’s academic reputation by attracting top caliber students, inspiring them to achieve their highest potential, and graduating emerging scholars who will make an impact in their respective fields.”

As founding dean of the Honors College, he will draw upon the breadth of his 17 years of experience leading the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), APU’s largest academic unit. He will develop an enriched humanities-based curriculum that encourages gifted students to explore life’s most profound questions.

“Establishing an Honors College is a natural next step for APU. We aim to become the preferred destination for outstanding students,” said Weeks. “I’m honored to serve as dean of a college that offers unique opportunities for naturally curious and highly motivated students who love learning, crave challenge, and see education as an adventure.”

As dean of CLAS since 1996, Weeks has fostered an environment where teaching and learning thrive. He has served previously as APU’s director of the Azusa Oxford Semester, chair of the Department of History and Political Science, and director of the General Studies program. He joined the APU community as a professor in 1983.

Weeks’ academic interests include Christian liberal education, political philosophy, and American law and politics, especially the intersection of religion and politics. He has served as a scholar-in-residence at the Centre for Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford, England, and as a Salvatori fellow in Washington, DC, and has studied at the Harvard University Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, Koch Charitable Foundation, Louisville Institute, and the Earhart Foundation.

“Dr. Weeks’ distinguished record as a scholar and administrator, commitment to higher education, and deep understanding of this university, qualify him to advance the Honors College, “ said Mark Stanton, Ph.D., provost. “He is the ideal choice for the role.”

Weeks holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Religion/Philosophy from Indiana Wesleyan University, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago.