Joseph Urgo

Who is Joseph Urgo?

Joe Urgo is a Senior Fellow with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, in residence at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He was president of St. Mary's College of Maryland from 2010-2013.Prior to moving to St. Mary's, Dr. Urgo served as Dean of Faculty at Hamilton College and Chair of the Department of English at The University of Mississippi. He rose through the faculty ranks at Bryant University and held a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Urgo has a PhD from Brown University in American Civilization, an M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University, and a B.A. from Haverford College.

Dr. Urgo has supported broad access to education in the liberal arts and sciences, speaking and writing often on issues of access and affordability. Joe and Lesley Urgo have been strong advocates for the natural beauty of the campus and under Lesley’s volunteer efforts, established the St. Mary's College arboretum.

Urgo created Mississippi’s first M.F.A. program. He also earned a grant for the university from the Mississippi Humanities Council for a Creative Writing Program at Marshall County Corrections Facility.