Shawn Bingham

The University of North Carolina Wilmington has announced that Shawn Bingham has been named associate dean of undergraduate studies, and director of honors college.

Bingham has more than 15 years of experience in higher education and brings a great deal of expertise to his role at UNCW, university officials said in a news release.

Currently, assistant dean of Academic Affairs of the Honors College at the University of South Florida, Bingham previously served at Saint Leo University and Howard Community College. He begins his new role with the university July 1.

“As the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Honors College, Shawn will use his vast experience to enrich, direct and support UNCW’s growing Honors program,” Provost Marilyn Sheerer said in the release. “We are thrilled to welcome him to our campus community and to have him at the helm of such an important university institution.”

Bingham will oversee all Honors College programming, encouraging curiosity, critical thinking and the importance of lifelong learning. He will also work to attract and retain academically talented individuals and prepare Honors students to be successful global citizens, officials said.

“The Honors College at UNCW is already an important lens for raising the profile of the institution,” Bingham said. “With my interdisciplinary background and experience establishing campus collaborations, I look forward to working with students, staff, faculty, the community and the UNC System to expand the College’s creative undergraduate programming and curriculum and continue building on UNCW’s mission of fostering an innovative and engaging environment. Dr. Bruce and the other members of the Honors College staff and faculty have created a very student-centered environment. Their emphases on students and creative experiences will certainly continue as we build the College.”

At the University of South Florida’s Honors College, Bingham developed new co-curricular programs, increased faculty participation across campus and hired the college’s first full-time faculty. He was integral in developing innovative and interdisciplinary undergraduate learning opportunities, collaborating with faculty and department chairs campus-wide to build a unique curriculum filled with experiences students could not find elsewhere.

Bingham holds a Ph.D. in sociology from American University, an M.Ed. in special education from the University of Maryland at College Park and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.