{{Short description|American academic}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Samuel Alston Banks | image = File:Samuel A. Banks from The Web 1986-87.png | caption = | birth_date = May 16, 1928 | birth_place = Frostproof, Florida, United States | death_date = {{Death date and age|2000|9|12|1928|5|16}} | death_place = St. Petersburg, Florida, United States | other_names = | known_for = | spouse = Judith Anne Farabee,<br /> Joanne Trautman (née Belfiori)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oransky |first=Ivan |date=July 2007 |title=Joanne Trautmann Banks |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61148-9 |journal=The Lancet |volume=370 |issue=9584 |pages=312 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61148-9 |issn=0140-6736}}</ref> | occupation = Professor, theologist, pastor, academic administrator, university president | office = 25th President of Dickinson College | term_start = 1975 | term_end = 1986 | office2 = 6th President of University of Richmond | term_start2 = 1986 | term_end2 = August 15, 1987 }}

'''Samuel Alston Banks''' (May 16, 1928 – September 12, 2000) was an American professor, theologist, pastor, and academic administrator.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Carson |first=Ronald A. |date=March 2001 |title=In Memoriam: Samuel Alston Banks |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/20264 |journal=Literature and Medicine |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=1–2 |doi=10.1353/lm.2001.0001 |s2cid=144192836 |issn=1080-6571|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He served as president of two American colleges and universities. He was ordained by the United Methodist Church.<ref name=":0" /> Banks had advocated in the early 1960s curricular changes to include human values in medical education.<ref name=":1" />

==Early life and education== Banks was born May 16, 1928 in Frostproof, Florida.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Samuel Alston Banks (1928–2000) |url=https://archives.dickinson.edu/people/samuel-alston-banks-1928-2000 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Dickinson College Archives}}</ref> His father was a prominent citrus grower and fruit packer.<ref name=":0" /> He attended Lakeland Senior High School and Florida Southern College.<ref name=":0" />

Banks received his bachelor's degree in English Literature from Duke University in 1949 and his Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in 1952. He received his Ph.D. in psychology and religion from the University of Chicago in 1971.

==Academic appointments== In his early career, Banks held faculty and administrative positions at Drew University and the University of Florida.

In 1975, he was named 25th president of Dickinson College,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-RVbAAAAYAAJ&dq=Samuel+Alston+Banks&pg=RA26-PA33 |title=Princeton Alumni Weekly |date=1975 |publisher=Princeton University Press |volume=76 |pages=33}}</ref> a position he held until 1986, when he became president of the University of Richmond.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Fall 1986 |title=Introducing UR's Sixth President |url=https://issuu.com/urscholarship/docs/urm-1986v49i1 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=University of Richmond Magazine |language=en |via=issuu.com}}</ref> Banks spent only eight months at Richmond before resigning for health reasons. He then took faculty and administrative positions at Eckerd College, where he remained until his retirement in 1995.

He died from complications after a stroke on September 12, 2000 in St. Petersburg, Florida.<ref name=":0" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://urhistory.richmond.edu/people/Banks.html History of the University of Richmond: People: Dr. Samuel A. Banks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828113840/http://urhistory.richmond.edu/people/Banks.html |date=2008-08-28 }}

{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{succession box|before=E. Bruce Heilman|title=President of the University of Richmond|years=1986&mdash;1987|after=E. Bruce Heilman}} {{succession box|before=Howard L. Rubendall|title=President of Dickinson College|years=1979&mdash;1986|after=A. Lee Fritschler}} {{s-end}}

{{University of Richmond presidents}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Samuel A.}} Category:1928 births Category:2000 deaths Category:20th-century American academics Category:Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni Category:Eckerd College faculty Category:Educators from Florida Category:Emory University alumni Category:Presidents of Dickinson College Category:Presidents of the University of Richmond Category:University of Chicago alumni Category:University of Florida faculty