In July 2006, David C. Hodge came to Miami with a successful track record spanning 30 years of experience in higher education. Gifted with a talent for both teaching and research, he served as a professor of geography, department chair, divisional dean, and most recently, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.

Born in Stewartville, Minnesota, Dr. Hodge graduated magna cum laude from Macalester College with a bachelor's degree in geography in 1970. He went on to get both a master's degree and a doctorate in geography from Pennsylvania State University in 1973 and 1975 (respectively).

After earning his doctorate, Dr. Hodge fulfilled a one-year appointment at McMaster University in Ontario before arriving at the University of Washington as an assistant professor of geography in 1975. At UW, his teaching earned him numerous awards, including the UW's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1990. He also served as a consultant to local and state agencies, as a program director at the National Science Foundation, as editor of a core journal in his discipline, and as supervisor to more than 40 graduate students.

An Idaho native, his wife Valerie also attended Macalester College as a geography major and later enrolled in graduate school at the UW. Before coming to Oxford, Valerie served as director of institutional research at Bellevue Community College.

The Hodges have two children, Gene, a graduate of the University of Washington who remains in Seattle, and Meriem, who is currently completing her college education at Miami. The family also shares their home with a calico cat named Nala. A former All-American athlete, Dr. Hodge likes to find time for fishing, especially for bass and trout.

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