Dan Roberts, retired liberal arts program chair, named Professor Emeritus by Board of Trustees

During the September 22 meeting of the University of Richmond Board of Trustees, retired professor and chair of liberal arts Dan Roberts, G’91, was awarded the title of Professor of Liberal Arts Emeritus.

By granting the title of professor emeritus, the Board of Trustees commits to provide the recipient a number of ongoing benefits in retirement, including use of University libraries, a faculty parking pass and faculty rates to athletic and cultural events, access to campus recreation and discounted tuition on select professional education and academic classes offered by SPCS.

In Dean Jamelle Wilson’s letter of nomination for the award, she listed a number of ways that Roberts enhanced the University’s reputation and contributed to the School’s growth and development. Among these are the following:

• Founding and development of the School’s Weekend College program in Fredericksburg, Danville and Richmond.
• Service on University committees, including the University Faculty Senate.
• Service to the community, including membership on the board of the Virginia War Memorial.
• Serving as executive producer and host of the award-winning syndicated radio series A Moment in Time.
• Publication of books related to his research for episodes of A Moment in Time.
• Guest contributor and columnist for Education Week, USA Today and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Roberts was initially appointed in 1997 as professor and chair of the liberal arts program, a program that he built and developed as one of the School’s founding program chairs. He served as a full-time faculty member and liberal arts program chair in SPCS for 25 years until his retirement earlier this year.

After receiving a B.A. in history from Presbyterian College in 1969, Roberts served as an officer in the U. S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star in 1971. Roberts had begun training as a Presbyterian minister and completed his professional education at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1974. In August, 1986, he was invited to serve as Guest Chaplain of the United States Senate. In 1991, Roberts obtained a master’s degree from the University of Richmond and in 1997, a Ph.D. in British and American Colonial History from the University of Virginia.

Roberts’ decades of service and work on behalf of the University of Richmond and SPCS were publicly recognized and honored during the School’s 2022 SPCS Night academic awards ceremony.