Michael D. Hammond

An accomplished scholar and proven leader, Dr. Michael Hammond has served in both academic and executive positions at several institutions of higher education, including the University of Arkansas, Southeastern University and Taylor University. He holds a bachelor’s in Christian education, with a sociology minor, from Taylor University; a master’s in biblical and theological studies, with a focus on religion in American life, from Wheaton College Graduate School; and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Arkansas.

At Taylor University, Hammond is provost and executive vice president, a position he moved into from his previous roles as academic dean for the School of Humanities, Arts, and Biblical Studies and professor of history. As the second-in-command at Taylor, Hammond has assumed leadership for the University’s full academic program and all facets of operations during a yearlong presidential transition. He previously served as director of leadership development and associate director of admissions at Taylor. A collaborative, irenic leader Hammond has established a reputation for being innovative, working through contentious situations and solving difficult problems.

Throughout his 25-year career in higher education, Hammond has often sat on the “academic side of the house” but with bridge to administrative matters, which fostered in him a desire both to shape the students and to shape the institution. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Hammond was a history professor at Southeastern University in Florida. He quickly moved into the role of chair of the Department of Historical, Legal, & Leadership Studies in the College of Business, was elected faculty moderator, and served as a faculty guest on all Cabinet and Trustee meetings. At Southeastern, he launched two new majors, four new minors and two graduate degree concentrations.

A widely published scholar, Hammond’s major research field is American Christianity, including the evangelical movement, the Civil Rights movement and the intersection of race and religion in 20th century United States history. As a doctoral academy fellow at the University of Arkansas, he worked with Dr. David Chappell as a research assistant for Chappell’s book Waking from the Dream: The Battle for Martin Luther King’s Legacy (2014). At Wheaton College, Hammond studied under renowned historian Dr. Mark Noll, from whom Hammond has drawn inspiration for his career in higher education. Hammond has been recognized with awards for excellence and achievement in teaching and research.