Education

Georgetown College names new president, the first woman to lead the school.

Rosemary Allen has been named the next president of Georgetown College. She is a longtime employee of the school, and has served as provost and interim president at Georgetown.
Rosemary Allen has been named the next president of Georgetown College. She is a longtime employee of the school, and has served as provost and interim president at Georgetown. Provided by Georgetown College

Georgetown College has named its next president, the first woman to serve in the role, the school announced Tuesday.

Rosemary Allen will be the 26th president of Georgetown College. She has been the Provost/Dean of Georgetown College since 2004, and was an English professor and the faculty advisor for the Fulbright program. She is the first woman to serve as president, and was also the first woman to serve as provost of Georgetown College.

“Dr. Rosemary Allen was the clear choice as Georgetown’s next president,” Robert Mills, chair of the board of trustees, said in a news release. “Through her longstanding commitment to Georgetown — first as a faculty member and later as provost — she has demonstrated with distinction the outstanding qualities we desire in a president to lead this school.”

“Georgetown College has been my home, and the college community has been my family, for nearly 38 years,” Allen said. “I will do everything in my power to protect and advance this college, and I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as its 26th President.”

Allen was most recently the interim president, after previous president William A. Jones was fired in November for allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct between the president and multiple female employees. One employee said the sexual assault happened while on an out-of-state work trip, according to an emergency protective order she filed.

The college learned of the allegations on Oct. 31, and Jones was fired the next day by the board of trustees.

Georgetown College is a private Christian college with over 1,500 students enrolled, according to the school’s website.

Monica Kast
Lexington Herald-Leader
Monica Kast covers higher education for the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. Previously, she covered higher education in Tennessee for the Knoxville News Sentinel. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Support my work with a digital subscription
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