Dr Scott Sprenger to succeed Dr Richard Hodges as AUR President.

The American University of Rome (AUR) has named Dr Scott Sprenger as its new President, succeeding Dr Richard Hodges, who is retiring after more than a decade in the position.

President-elect Sprenger, who will assume the post of AUR President on 1 July, is currently Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Dr Sprenger was formerly Provost of The American University of Paris as well as associate dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University (BYU).

The American University of Rome says that throughout his career Dr Sprenger has focused on "improving the student experience, advancing faculty research, and aligning the liberal arts with global career opportunities."

AUR hailed its President-elect as an "innovative, strategic leader" whose energy and vision uniquely qualifies him "to lead us beyond our 50th anniversary, which was celebrated this year.”

Dr Sprenger said it was an honour to be chosen to lead "one of the most progressive English-speaking liberal arts universities in Europe - and the oldest American university in Rome."

Paying tribute to outgoing President Richard Hodges, Dr Sprenger said that as AUR President he would "continue to focus on improving both curriculum and the student experience and on ensuring that AUR continues to broaden the learning experience beyond its campus into the city of Rome and beyond."

Dr Sprenger received his advanced degrees at The Johns Hopkins University and Emory University, and was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award from France’s National Center for Scientific Research and has held an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA.

He is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed articles, essays and edited volumes, and his areas of writing and research are modern European literature and culture and current challenges in the world of higher education.