George Bridges joined the Whitman community as its thirteenth president on July 1, 2005, bringing with him a distinguished academic career spanning nearly 30 years.

In his previous position as dean and vice provost of undergraduate education at the University of Washington, Dr. Bridges administered the Honors Program, a liberal arts curriculum for the university’s most academically capable undergraduates. He also oversaw the Mary Gates Endowment, the university’s single largest endowment to support undergraduate scholarships for participation in research and service, and a variety of other programs that supported the academic experiences of UW undergraduates. Prior to his appointment as dean, Dr. Bridges served as associate dean and associate vice provost of undergraduate education in addition to his work as professor of sociology. Among many accomplishments, he developed and launched major initiatives for faculty and undergraduate students on teaching and learning. These initiatives established four major institutes and programs to assist faculty improve their teaching skills and to create small, liberal arts learning experiences for undergraduates enrolled at the UW.

After earning his undergraduate degree in 1972 from the University of Washington, Dr. Bridges pursued his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. There he earned his MA in criminology (1973) and  Ph.D. in sociology (1979).  His areas of expertise include social control, criminal justice, juvenile justice, crime and its measurement, and research methods and statistics.

Prior to pursuing an academic career full time, Dr. Bridges worked as a social scientist in the staff office of the Attorney General of the United States and as an assistant administrator of the Federal Justice Research Program. In this capacity he assisted in the design and implementation of research programs examining federal criminal law and law enforcement.

Over the course of his career Dr. Bridges has taught and lectured at many universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, American University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Hawaii, the University of California - Riverside, and Western Washington University. He has testified numerous times  before the U.S. Congress, the Washington State Legislature, and local community councils and boards and has  served on the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission since 1990.

Dr. Bridges has received extensive recognition for his teaching and his scholarship. During his tenure at the University of Washington, he received six awards for excellence in teaching, including its most prestigious teaching prize, the Distinguished Teaching Award. The recipient of nearly 20 research grants and contracts from such prestigious organizations as the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Justice, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, and the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission, Dr. Bridges has conducted research responsible for sparking nationally recognized reforms of the Washington State justice system. In 1995, Dr. Bridges received the Washington Council on Crime and Delinquency Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Scholar.  

A recognized expert in his field, Dr. Bridges has authored or co-authored dozens of professional papers, book chapters and government reports, including numerous peer-reviewed articles in leading professional journals. He has also published several books, including Inequality, Crime and Social Control (with Martha Myers); the three-volume series Crime and Society (with Robert Crutchfield and Joseph Weis); and a book commissioned by the American Sociological Association, Teaching and Learning in Large Classes (with Scott Desmond). He has served as the Deputy Editor of Criminology, the leading journal in his area of specialization.

Dr. Bridges is married to Dr. Kari Tupper. Prior to joining the Whitman community, Dr. Tupper held the position of senior lecturer at the University of Washington with appointments in the Department of Women Studies and Comparative History of Ideas. The couple has four children: Anna, James, Lauren and Seth. The Tupper-Bridges family enjoys relaxing on the waters of Puget Sound and hiking and skiing in the Blue Mountains near Walla Walla.