Welcome to one of the few colleges in America that believes in educating
the whole person: mind, body and spirit.

New Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs Appointed

Dr. Mark Newcomb has been appointed the Abbey’s new Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.

Prior to coming to the Abbey, Newcomb was Director of Academic Services at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Newcomb earned his B. A. in History and French from Hampden-Sydney College, garnered his Master of Theological Studies from Duke University’s Divinity School, and earned both his Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees (both in Historical Theology) from Fordham University.

Before going to Aquinas College, Dr. Newcomb served as both Registrar and Director of Institutional Research at Hampden-Sydney, worked as a Database Administrator and Web Master for Staunton City Schools, and acted as Assistant Registrar at Virginia Military Institute. 

“We are very pleased that Dr. Newcomb has such a substantial background in the liberal arts and has taught and/or worked at several well-respected liberal arts colleges,”  Dr. Carson Daly, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, wrote in her announcement to the Abbey’s staff. 

“We are also delighted that he has done a great deal of work with adult degree students, understands the intricacies of scheduling classes, is thoroughly familiar with educational data base issues, and is no stranger to the demands of Institutional Research.”

Dr. Newcomb began working at the Abbey in March, 2009. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two young daughters, Lucy Marie and Aurelia.

Below, in his own words, are Newcomb’s goals and hopes for the College, his areas of academic interest and much more:

What drew you to the Abbey? (What did you find most attractive about the place?)

I would say that there were a constellation of qualities about the Abbey that brought me from a passing interest in the position of Assistant Dean to seeing this place as a real vocational and educational home for my family and me.  There have been a lot of serendipitous events that suggested that the Holy Spirit wanted us here, starting with the fact that all of my early contacts with the Academic Affairs staff confirmed that they shared my high-flying sense of humor, and delight in academic life and culture!  On our initial visit, we were struck by the uncommon beauty of the place and its rich history. 

During my interview, people seemed genuinely to care not only about my credentials and experience, but my formation as a person and my larger life story, how I met my wife and what she does, the names and interests of our children.  I came in a short time to see the Abbey as a place where we would all be welcomed to live and grow, morally and intellectually.  My early academic formation was at a small, Liberal Arts college in the South, Hampden-Sydney, so I have a strong bond to liberal education, forged in my youth, and as a convert, I also have great love of the Catholic Church and her teaching.

What are your greatest (strongest?) areas of intellectual interest and expertise?

My dissertation is a study of the English Reformation, specifically the exegetical methods of Nicholas Ridley and Edmund Bonner, the Edwardine and Marian bishops of London, respectively.  I am therefore deeply interested in the historiography and theological developments of the English Reformation, and the larger history of the interpretation of scripture, beginning with the patristic era.  I also have practical interests in the intersections of theology with the modern professions of business and medicine, having taught courses with a focus on Catholic Social Teaching and Moral Theology to business and nursing students in recent years.�

What do you hope to accomplish as Assistant Dean? What are your goals and hopes for the College?

I see my role here as one of listening and helping to foster dialogue in pursuit of the common good for the institution.  I hope to be able to articulate the values behind the more noble aims of accreditation and administrative processes, and to have us focus on how such initiatives can be more than “something we must do for SACS,” to, “this aim may have enduring value for our academic program, as it helps us to prepare for our accreditation review.”  My wish is to have all of the organs within the body of the College, faculty, staff, students, and administration, realize their special, yet complementary, parts in the common inheritance, preservation, and promotion of our mission. 

What are your passions outside of the classroom? (Hobbies, favorite reading…)

I do a lot of reading in varied areas, but beyond my intellectual life, and as a healthy counterpoint to it, I do a great deal of vegetable gardening and enjoy fly fishing.  I have done a lot of woodworking over the years and refinished a lot of our furniture.  I like to cook and bake—chocolate is probably my favorite ingredient!

Who are your favorite writers/thinkers?

A classical foundation was a large part of my undergraduate education, so my favorite authors, or at least those who have most challenged me to think deeply about myself and the kind of person I wish to be, include such figures as Cicero and Epictetus.  Among early Christian authors, I am very fond of Ignatius of Antioch, Ireneus of Lyons, Hilary of Poitiers, and Gregory Nazianzen.  Among modern theological writers, I have read broadly in the works of John Henry Cardinal Newman, John Paul II, Hans urs Von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger/Benedict XVI.  Each year, I make a point of re-reading Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who also wrote The Little Prince.  Wind, Sand, and Stars is his personal account of the trials and agonies of early night flights in Patagonia to deliver mail, in those first fixed-wing aircraft.  It is a text of poetic reflection on the nature of men and how they come to their full humanity in the deliberate service of others, the emptying out of self that bears allusions to Christ’s own self-emptying, described in a characteristic paradox by St. Paul in Philippians 2.

Family info you feel comfortable sharing: how many children and their first names, perhaps something about your significant other.

My wife, Kimberly Marie, and I met the year after college, when we both served with the Washington National Cathedral Volunteer Service Program in D.C.  We were both raised Methodist, but were Episcopalians before entering the Catholic Church in the spring of 1998.  As a pair of married theologians, we share a lot of inside jokes, especially since we studied with many of the same people at Duke Divinity School from 1992 to 1994.  We have two children, Lucy Marie, aged 4, and Aurelia, who just turned 2.  

What have you discovered about the Abbey that surprises or pleases you most?

The most beautiful and surprising thing I have experienced here is the sense of peace and exhilaration after Lauds each morning with the monks.  Father Abbot has graciously provided a place for me at the monastery until my family can join me in North Carolina.  I have been observing a fairly strict Lent, taking a little less sleep and food than usual, but the lift I feel after rising early and helping to pray the morning office is indescribable.  You come to understand that this is the power, the energy that drove and sustained civilization for 1,500 years: the peace and love of God, prayerfully nurtured in the soul, during the dark, still hours of morning.

Quirky Facts:

1. What was the most recent book you read?

Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss—I read it to my children—yes, ummm…—I was reading it to the kids, you see.

2. Who would you consider an inspiration to you? [A “hero” in some sense]

I have been fortunate to have lived with a number of my heroes.  My grandfather was a superior tobacco farmer who was consulted for miles around about different types of agricultural problems.  He taught me to take the long view of things and the value of doing things well, through careful observation and deliberate planning.  My Dad was a highly-decorated Marine Corps crew chief and tail gunner in Vietnam.  From him, I learned the value of tenacity and self discipline.  The example of humility and constant study set for me by my friend and mentor, the late Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., was a decisive influence on my character and was pivotal in my eventually coming home to the Catholic Church.

3. If you could be in any profession, what would it be and why?

I am living it—really, who would NOT want to be a theologian and college administrator?  Soon there will probably be a reality show about people in my profession, because it is such an enviable lifestyle.  Trust me, whatever else, it will be highly entertaining!

Like this story? Then sign up to receive free email notifications on the latest news and information from Belmont Abbey College. CLICK HERE