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Office of the Vice President for Administration

Thomas G. Poole
Thomas Poole Photo Dr. Poole was appointed the Vice President for Administration in July 2009, having served as Associate to the President for Administration since 2007. Prior to that he served for nine years as Associate Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State. In that role, Dr. Poole helped to create and implement the University's "Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 1998–2003" and the second edition, covering 2004–2009. He also chaired the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee (EOPC) and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemoration Committee. Prior to his position in Educational Equity, Dr. Poole served for ten years as the director of Penn State's Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, for two years as director of Student Activities, and for one year as acting director of Student Unions.

Author of several articles, chapters, and reviews, Dr. Poole has taught in both religious studies and African and African American studies. His research and teaching focus on African American religion, Christian social ethics, social transformation, and cultural studies. Dr. Poole's course offerings have included The Life and Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Introduction to African American Religion; and The Development of the Spirituals and the Blues.

Dr. Poole earned a B.A. from Roberts Wesleyan College (1974, religion and philosophy), an M.Div. from Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Crozer Theological Seminary (1977, theology and ethics), and a Ph.D. from Penn State (1984, religious studies).

In his spare time, Dr. Poole hosts The Blues on WPSU–FM, Penn State's National Public Radio affiliate.
Administration