Matthew Jordan Named Dean for Humanities at Tri-C

Position will lead The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center

Matthew Carey Jordan has been named dean for humanities at The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) following a national search.

Jordan will provide the leadership and guidance to further develop the center into a national model for engagement in the humanities. He has served as director of the University Honors Program and deputy dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama.

The position serves as a homecoming for Jordan, who grew up in Hudson. He’ll join Tri-C in August and said he is excited to work with students in the Mandel Scholars Academy; Mandel Center faculty and staff; and community partners in the public and private sectors.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected for this position,” Jordan said. “I am humbled and delighted to be able to come home to Cleveland and be part of what’s happening in humanities education at Tri-C.”

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center was created to offer a unique liberal arts learning environment to cultivate civically responsible citizens who will lead Northeast Ohio toward a stronger future.

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Mandel Supporting Foundations awarded $10 million to the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation in 2015 to establish the center and endow the chair for humanities/dean position.

Since its inception, the center has grown and has helped lead initiatives such as the yearlong  commemoration marking the 50th anniversary of Carl Stokes’ historic election as mayor of Cleveland.

The center has also developed close partnerships with the Mandel Honors College at Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Humanities Collaborative at Case Western Reserve University.

Prior to his administrative roles at Auburn Montgomery, Jordan served as a member of the philosophy faculty at the university. He previously taught at Quincy University, Capital University and The Ohio State University.

Jordan is a national leader in honors education, publishing and presenting widely in the discipline as well as in the areas of ethics and philosophy of religion. He has also served as conference referee for several national philosophy conferences and academic philosophical journals. 

His participation in professional organizations includes work with the National Collegiate Honors Council, Alabama Philosophical Society, Southern Regional Honors Council and the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee and Statewide Transfer and Articulation Reporting System.

Jordan holds degrees from Ohio University and Biola University, as well as a Ph.D. in philosophy from The Ohio State University.

“Dr. Jordan has a strong background as both a faculty member and administrator promoting the value of a humanities education,” said Alex Johnson, president of Tri-C. “I am pleased to welcome him to Tri-C to continue the crucial work of The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center in developing the next generation of leaders for our communities.”

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center is located on Tri-C’s Eastern Campus in Highland Hills. Jordan replaces Lauren Onkey, the inaugural Mandel dean and chair, who now serves as the director of music at National Public Radio.

June 05, 2018

John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu