Donald R. Eastman III

Donald R. Eastman III is the current President of Eckerd College.

Education

Eastman enrolled at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1963, but soon transferred to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. his Doctorate from the University of Florida, and also attended Harvard University. While an undergraduate at Emory, he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and he continued his active membership in the Fraternity while at Tennessee.^[1][2]

Career

From 1989 - 1990 he was the Executive Director of University Communications at Cornell University. From 1991 - 1998 he served as the Vice President for University Relations at the University of Georgia. In 2001 he became the President of Eckerd College.^[3]

Controversy

While Eastman was President of Eckerd College, the institution was warned that it might lose its accreditation,^[4] concerns over increased drug abuse arose,^[5] and Eastman himself was criticized for insensitive remarks regarding rape.^[6][7] During his tenure as president, students staged numerous protests to lobby the administration to provide its housekeepers with a living wage above the existing $17,000 a year salary but were repeatedly denied.^[8][9][10] Eastman earned $653,262 annually in 2012.^[11]

References