Biography
Professor McGaughy came to Salem in 1981 as the first holder of the George H. Atkinson Chair of Religious and Ethical Studies. Before, he and his late mentor, Robert Funk, had helped to establish the Religious Studies Department at the University of Montana. In addition, they founded Scholars Press, and Prof. McGaughy served as one of its first editors.
At Willamette University, Prof. McGaughy became a driving force in the establishment of the Classical Studies Program (founded in 1998) and chaired it for many years. The author of a book on Hellenistic Greek grammar and the co-author (with Bob Funk) of a New Testament Greek textbook, Prof. McGaughy taught elementary ancient Greek and classes on Herodotus, Greek biography, Hellenistic Greek literature, and Hellenistic mystery religions for the Classical Studies Program and received the United Methodist Distinguished Teaching Award.
Prof. McGaughy was also instrumental in the founding of the Willamette Journal of the Liberal Arts (1983), the Salem Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America (chartered in 1995), and, as an ordained United Methodist minister himself, in the establishment of a non-denominational theological seminary in Salem, the (1998). In Santa Rosa, CA, he and Bob Funk started the and the associated Polebridge Press. Furthermore, Prof. McGaughy has served as President and Executive Secretary both of the Pacific Northwest Region of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Professor McGaughy retired from Willamette University after 25 years of service in May 2007. After serving as Director of the new Center of Ancient Studies and Archaeology (est. 2007) at Willamette University from 2007-2009, he is now the Center's first Senior Research Fellow. In addition, he continues to be the editor of Polebridge Press and to serve on the Board of Directors of the Westar Institute and the Northwest House of Theological Studies.