The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce that John Corvino has been selected to serve as the next dean of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College. Corvino will begin serving in this position on July 1, 2018. He succeeds founding Dean Jerry Herron, who has led the Honors College since 2008.

“After a number of discussions with several faculty candidates and discussions with leadership from around the university, John Corvino was clearly the best candidate for this challenging role,” said Provost Keith Whitfield.

Corvino arrived at Wayne State as a lecturer in 1998, earning tenure in 2007 and becoming full professor in 2015. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's from St. John’s University (New York), whose own Honors Program he credits for an excellent educational foundation.

Much of Corvino's research aims to build bridges on controversial “culture war” issues regarding sexuality and marriage. He is the author of numerous articles, as well as three books from Oxford University Press: Debating Same-Sex Marriage (with Maggie Gallagher, 2012), What’s Wrong with Homosexuality? (2013), and Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination (with Ryan T. Anderson and Sherif Girgis, 2017).

Corvino is the recipient of several teaching awards, including the Wayne State University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and a 2012 Distinguished Professor of the Year Award from the Presidents Council of the State Universities of Michigan. In 2012, he became chair of the Wayne State Philosophy Department, where he has focused on building and strengthening ties with other university departments and reforming undergraduate and graduate program curricula. He also continues to be active as a “public philosopher,” having spoken at more than 250 campuses around the country and the globe. He lives in Detroit.

“I am excited to begin this new role, having enjoyed working with our Honors students in many classes during my two decades at Wayne State,” said Corvino. “I am deeply humbled to follow founding Dean Jerry Herron, who has built a fantastic college worthy of the exceptional students it serves.”

Whitfield also thanked Herron for his long and distinguished service as founding dean of the Honors College. “I have enjoyed working with Dean Herron and will miss his thoughtful, caring and compassionate leadership. I have always found him to be the quintessential example of selfless administrator, scholar and gentleman, and we will miss his contributions to the leadership of the university. The university is truly a better place because of his longstanding and steadfast leadership.”