Vice President

Jim Hawdon is a professor of sociology and the Director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention (CPSVP). He received his B.A. in Sociology from Pennsylvania State University and both his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.  He arrived at Virginia Tech in 2004 after 12 years at Clemson University where he was an associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies.  After arriving at Virginia Tech, he served as the Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology from 2005-2011 and became director of CPSVP in 2011.  He also served as interim chair of the Department of Sociology from 2019-2021.  His research focuses on communities and crime, and his recent work explores how online communities shape cybercrime and online extremism.  He has received numerous awards for his teaching, research, and service, including the 2023 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research and an honorary doctorate from the University of Turku (Finland) in 2022.  He was inducted into Virginia Tech’s Academy of Faculty Services in 2020. 

Jim has been involved with shared governance for over a decade, and he was a member of the ad hoc President’s Committee on Governance that helped redesign Virginia Tech's shared governance system.  He has served multiple terms on the CLAHS Faculty Council, acting in the role as president and co-president, and he has also served for over 15 years on Faculty Senate.  He has been a member of the Commission on Faculty Affairs, the Commission on Graduate and Professional Studies and Policies, the Policy and Procedures Committee, Faculty Senate Cabinet, University Council, and several task forces and working groups. He is currently a member of the President’s Working Group on Palestinian, Muslim, and Jewish Campus Communities and the Global Distinction Initiative Feedback Subcommittee. 

Contact: hawdonj@vt.edu