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Office of the Provost

The Office of the Provost lies in organizational hierarchy over both the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Life. By integrating the management of both faculty and student affairs into a single office, PHC can best ensure that the needs of both halves of the College are met.

Visit Cranach -- the blog of Dr. Gene Edward Veith.

Gene Edward Veith, Ph.D.
Provost, Professor of Literature

Dr. Veith oversees the academic programs at Patrick Henry College, which includes working with the faculty, managing the curriculum, and administering the educational services, including the library and the registrar’s office. He also oversees the Office of Student Life.

Dr. Veith teaches literature and other liberal arts courses. He is the author of 20 books on topics involving Christianity and culture, classical education, literature, and the arts. He previously served as the Culture Editor of WORLD magazine. For 19 years, he was Professor of English at Concordia University Wisconsin, where he also served for six years as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Veith has also taught at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and has been a visiting professor at the Estonian Institute of Humanities, Gordon-Conwell, Regent College (Vancouver), and Wheaton College. He also serves as the director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He has been a Fellow at the Capital Research Center and the Heritage Foundation. He received his B.A. in Letters (Literature, Philosophy, History, and Classics) from the University of Oklahoma and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in Purcellville and have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

Zachary Simmons (History, '11)
Executive Assistant to the President and Provost

As the Executive Assistant to the President and the Provost, Zachary serves as the primary point of contact between the busy executive offices, faculty, students, guests, and others outside the college. He also coordinates academic events, chapel speakers, and special lectures, and assists Dr. Veith on various research projects and publications.

Zachary graduated from Patrick Henry’s History major in 2011. During his time at PHC, he served as an RA for two years and as a peer mentor. He was involved in chapel guilds for four years, was in Chorale for four years, accompanied the Youth Music Academy choir for three years. Zachary also participated in intramural sports, and was (and and still is) deeply involved in Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church in Purcellville.

Office of Academic Affairs

The Office of Academic Affairs answers directly to the Office of the Provost. The Provost is the College's chief academic officer.


	Frank Guliuzza, Ph.D. Dean of Academic Affairs; Professor of Government
	Dr. Guliuzza is Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College. He is a well-known scholar in the field of government. An expert in Constitutional Law, he has published widely on the first amendment (including the book, Over the Wall: Protecting Religious Expression in the Public Square), the separation of church and state, and the role of Christians in political activism. He is also the current Chair of the Pre-Law Advisors' National Council and is on the executive boards of the American Mock Trial Association and the American Collegiate Moot Court Associations. He brings his experience, both academic and hands-on, to his role in coaching the PHC moot court and mock trial teams, as well as to the classroom.


	Steve Hake, Ph.D. Chairman, Department of Classical Liberal Arts; Professor of English Literature
	Dr. Hake chairs the Department of Classical Liberal Arts and teaches literature and writing. Courses include Western Lit I and II and electives such as Selected Works of Charles Dickens and Christian Values in Tolkien. He also teaches upper-level literature courses for Classical Liberal Arts majors and oversees Practicum/Apprenticeship for CLA majors. He was a college professor/missionary for many years in Taiwan, and more recently launched Rivendell Study Center. He received a B.A in East Asian Studies from Colby College, an M.Div. in theology from Westminster Theological Seminary, an M.A. in English literature from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in English literature from Binghamton University.


	Mark Mitchell, Ph.D. Chairman, Department of Government; Associate Professor of Government
	Mark T. Mitchell is the chair of the Government Department and teaches courses in political theory. He is the author of The Politics of Gratitude: Scale, Place, and Community in a Global Age and Michael Polanyi: The Art of Knowing, and he is co-editor of The Humane Vision of Wendell Berry. In 2008-9, he was a fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.

Visit the Office of the Registrar

Office of Student Life

The Office of Student Life answers directly to the Office of the Provost. The Provost is the College's chief student life officer.

Sandra K. Corbitt
Dean of Student Affairs

As the Dean of Students, Sandra Corbitt is Patrick Henry College's representative in non-academic, student life matters. She works with students, parents, faculty, administration, staff, and the community to ensure that the whole of each student's collegiate experience is successful and fulfilling. The Dean of Students is responsible for advising students on non-academic policy and procedure. Dean Corbitt oversees the work of the Offices of Student Life and Residence Life.

Sandra Corbitt is a graduate of Ohio State University. She served for 19 years with Campus Crusade for Christ in a variety of positions and locations. Before coming to Patrick Henry College she served for 3 years with The Christian Union in Princeton, New Jersey. She lives in Ashburn, Virginia.


	Jeff Thornhill Associate Dean for Men
	As the Associate Dean for Men, Jeff Thornhill supports the Dean of Students in non-academic, student life matters. Dean Thornhill’s particular interest is integrating Christian faith and its application into every area of life. Jeff Thornhill comes to Patrick Henry College from Prison Fellowship Ministries, where he was the director of campus ministries. During that time he studied the Christian worldview in Chuck Colson’s centurion program in order to integrate this teaching into campus ministry curriculum. Previous to that he served 23 years with Campus Crusade for Christ as a Northeast regional director, instructor at the Howard Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership, and in several other positions in the Middle East and the U.S. He received his B.S. in Communication from the University of Utah. He and his wife, Vickie, live in Ashburn, VA and have one grown daughter.

Jensen Near (Government, '10)
Resident Director for Men

As the RD of Men, Jensen oversees the male RA (Resident Assistant) team, and handles many of the administrative responsibilities for the Office of Student Life. His duties include meeting regularly with RAs, maintaining databases, answering phones, keeping regular office hours, and conducting cleaning inspections within dorm rooms and common areas. Additionally he has the pleasure of coming alongside his PHC brothers in a counseling and mentorship role.

As a student Jensen studied American Politics and Policy, was a student senator, worked as a security officer, served as an RA, and competed on both of PHC’s inter-collegiate athletic programs (basketball and soccer).

Valerie Near
Resident Director for Women

As the Resident Director of Women, Valerie’s main responsibility is overseeing the women’s Resident Assistant team. Her responsibilities also include directing the Peer Tutor Program, coaching the women’s basketball team, and helping to administer the Office of Student Life.

Valerie’s varied background includes working with everyone from toddlers to college students in an educational setting (she found the junior high students the most entertaining). She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Colorado Christian University in 2009. During an internship in educational theory, her interest in higher education grew. She is now excited to work in a hands-on environment at Patrick Henry College.

While at Colorado Christian College, she also led women’s discipleship in small group and one-on-one settings on campus and at her church. After graduation, she taught junior high students in English and as a substitute teacher. Valerie also worked at a non-profit halfway house for criminal youth as a life coach and counselor.

Valerie played basketball at the undergraduate level and coached basketball for a private league, as well as during three seasons at the YMCA. She also put her experience to good use coaching a Senior Women’s Basketball Team. Her team won the silver medal at Nationals in June, 2011 in Houston.

Marsha Schreiber
RN Health Consultant/Health Educator

As the RN Health Consultant/Health Educator, Marsha provides clinical services of patient assessment with community referrals, health education, and health counseling for individual students and student groups, reviews the immunization status for current students, provides health and immunization standards for incoming students and provides health alerts as needed for the campus at large.

Marsha is a master’s prepared RN with board certification as a college health nurse. She served as Director of Student Health Services at Biola University for 20 years prior to her current position at Patrick Henry College. She managed the Student Health Center with a full complement of physicians and nurses seeing sick students, worked with students to immunize them for foreign mission travel and provided overall wellness care for staff, faculty and students.