John V. Griffith

For other people with the same name, see John Griffith.

Nancy Snell

​

(m. 1969)​

John V. Griffith
16th President of Presbyterian College
In office January 1, 1998 –July 15, 2012
Education	Dickinson College Harvard University Syracuse University

John Vincent Griffith (born December 24, 1947) is an American former educator and academic administrator. He was the president of Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, for eight years and of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, for fourteen years until his retirement in July 2012.

Early life and education

John Vincent Griffith was born on December 24, 1947. ^[1] He was raised in Hamilton, New York; his father was dean of students at Colgate University. ^[2] Griffith attended Hamilton Central School. ^[3]

Griffith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. ^{[4] [5]} He earned a Master of Divinity degree, magna cum laude , from Harvard University, and he earned a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. ^{[4] [2]} His research focus was intellectual development. ^[2]

Career

Following his graduation from Syracuse, Griffith took his first teaching position at the Dana Hall School, where he was also the chaplain. ^{[2] [6]} After leaving Dana Hall, he was a member of the faculty at Syracuse University and the University of Michigan before taking a faculty position at Davidson College. He was also a part of the Davidson administration as dean of admissions and financial aid and then as vice president for institutional advancement for his final four years there. ^{[2] [7]} He left Davidson after ten years upon his appointment as president of Arkansas College in Batesville, Arkansas. ^[2] Griffith's appointment was announced on December 4, 1988, and he took office on August 1, 1989. ^[7]

At Arkansas College, which changed its name to Lyon College in 1994, Griffith's administration oversaw the construction and renovation of multiple campus buildings, including the president's house, a residence hall, and the Lyon Business and Economics Building, between 1991 and 1994. ^[8] Griffith was elected president of Presbyterian College, in Clinton, South Carolina, by a unanimous vote of the school's board of trustees on June 3, 1997. ^{[2] [9]} He stepped down as president of Lyon effective December 31, 1997, ^[10] and took office at Presbyterian on January 1, 1998; his formal inauguration was held October 10, 1998. ^[2]

During Griffith's tenure at Presbyterian, the school constructed or renovated several academic buildings, including Lassiter Hall and the college library. A new soccer stadium, Martin Stadium at Edens Field, and a new football stadium, Bailey Memorial Stadium, were also built in 2001 and 2002, respectively. His administration established a partnership with Guizhou University, in Guiyang, Guizhou, China; this led to the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Presbyterian. ^[1] Additionally, the school announced a move to NCAA Division I athletics in 2006, ^[11] and established the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy in 2010. ^[1] He began the Promise and Challenge Campaign, a $160 million fundraising campaign, ^[2] which was chaired by future PC president Bob Staton. ^[12]

In 2010, Griffith's salary from Presbyterian totaled $290,045. ^[13] He resigned the presidency effective July 15, 2012. ^[14]

During his career, Griffith chaired the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities president's council and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, and he was director of the Laurens County, South Carolina, chamber of commerce. ^[2]

Personal life

Griffith married Nancy Snell, of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, in 1969. ^[15] The couple has two children and five grandchildren. ^[6] Griffith is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). ^[6]

Griffith received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon in 2001. ^[16]

References

1. "John V. Griffith, 1998–2012". Presbyterian College Blue Notes. Presbyterian College . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
2. "Guest preacher to visit First Presbyterian Church". The Covington News . March 18, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
3. "John Vincent Griffith in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–2016" . Ancestry.com . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
4. DiDomenico, Tammy (January 1, 1999). "Alumni Academic Leaders". Syracuse University Magazine . Vol. 16, no. 2. p. 43. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
5. "Higher education: Lyon College". Batesville Guard . Batesville, Arkansas. April 24, 1997. p. 57. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Staff Members: John Griffith". The Pines at Davidson. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
7. Guyette, Julie M. (December 5, 1988). "New AC president selected, to take over post in August". Batesville Guard . Batesville, Arkansas. p. 1. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
8. Course Catalog 2019, p. 6.
9. "PC selects new president". The Greenville News . Greenville, South Carolina. June 4, 1997. p. 42. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "John V. Griffith stepping down at Lyon". The Jonesboro Sun . Jonesboro, Arkansas. June 4, 1997. p. 10. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Presbyterian nears leap to Division I". GoUpstate. April 6, 2006. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
12. "Presbyterian College president Bob Staton to retire at end of 2020". Presbyterian College. May 11, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
13. Pope, Justin (December 10, 2012). "Private college presidents pay was up slightly". Anderson Independent-Mail . Anderson, South Carolina. Associated Press. p. 13. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Presbyterian names new president". The State . Columbia, South Carolina. June 16, 2012. p. B8. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Marriage licenses". The Sentinel . Carlisle, Pennsylvania. January 23, 1969. p. 6. Retrieved June 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
16. Course Catalog 2019, p. 272.

Bibliography

• Course Catalog 2019–2020 (PDF). Batesville, Arkansas: Lyon College. 2019.