Thomas McDaniel
Dr. McDaniel retired in May 2015.
Dr. McDaniel was Senior Vice President at Converse College. He came to Converse in 1971 as Chairman of the Department of Education and Director of Graduate Studies. In 1984, he was named Charles A. Dana Professor of Education. In 1993-94 he served Converse as Interim President and has also been Acting Dean of the Petrie School of Music, Acting Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Provost of the College.
Dr. McDaniel received his B.A. degree magna cum laude from Hampden-Sydney College and his M.L.A. (Humanities), M.A.T. (English), and Ph.D. (Philosophy and Education) degrees from The Johns Hopkins University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In all, he is a member of twelve national honorary fraternities, and has been listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities and Who’s Who in America.
Among Dr. McDaniel’s 250-plus publications are eight books and thirty-five textbook chapters, as well as articles in over 50 different journals in education, humanities, and the social sciences. He has served on the editorial boards of such professional journals as The Capstone Journal of Education, The Clemson Kappan, and Academic Leader. Presently, he serves as Executive Editor for The Clearing House. He co-authored with Nan McDaniel and Sandra Thomas At Home In South Carolina, a social studies text adopted by the State in 1991, 1999, and 2005. His book Dean’s Dialogue/Lessons in Leadership (with Lynn Little) was published in 2002, and his School Law for South Carolina Educators was published in 2007.
He has been President of the Board of Directors of the Charles Lea Center, Chairman of the Spartanburg County Commission on Excellence in Education, President of the South Carolina Society for the Study of Education, President of the Spartanburg-Greenville Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, President of the South Carolina Independent College Deans Council, President of the Piedmont Area Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Chairman of the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment Policy Board, and Chairman of the Spartanburg County Board of Education.
He holds memberships on a number of other local and regional committees and boards, and he has made presentations to scores of educational and civic organizations, both locally and nationally. Among his specialties are school law, classroom management, and student motivation. He and his wife Nan have two children, Robb and Kathryn, who have followed their parents’ footsteps into academic careers as college professors.