The John and Penelope Biggs Department of Classics is delighted to announce that Professor Tom Keeline will become the next Chair of the Department beginning July 1. A distinguished scholar, award‑winning teacher, and active contributor to the intellectual life of Arts & Sciences, Professor Keeline brings a remarkable combination of research excellence, pedagogical innovation, and departmental leadership to this role.
This transition marks the conclusion of Professor Timothy Moore’s highly successful tenure as Chair, during which he has guided the department with insight, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to the flourishing of Classics at Washington University.
Celebrating the Service of Professor Timothy Moore
Professor Moore, the John and Penelope Biggs Distinguished Professor of Classics, has long been a cornerstone of the department’s scholarly and creative life. His wide‑ranging research—including foundational work on Greek and Roman theatre, ancient music, and Roman historiography—has helped shape modern understanding of performance, sound, and culture in the ancient world. His ongoing projects, including an online database of the meters of Greek and Roman drama, continue to enrich the field.
As Chair, Professor Moore has cultivated an environment that supports rigorous scholarship while encouraging collaborative inquiry and curiosity. His leadership has helped strengthen both undergraduate and graduate programs, foster interdisciplinary connections, and sustain the department’s longstanding commitment to humanistic study.
The department extends its deepest gratitude for Professor Moore’s years of service, mentorship, and vision.
Introducing Professor Tom Keeline
Currently Professor of Classics and Director of Graduate Studies, Tom Keeline is widely recognized for his broad and dynamic engagement with the ancient world. His research spans Latin and Greek language and literature, the history of classical scholarship, textual criticism, lexicography, metrics, digital methods in Classics, and language pedagogy, with a particular passion for active Latin.
Professor Keeline’s scholarship has already made significant contributions to the field. His acclaimed first book, The Reception of Cicero in the Early Roman Empire, explores how ancient educational practices shaped Ciceronian reception. His second major publication, a commentary on Cicero’s Pro Milone for the Cambridge “Green and Yellow” series, offers a newly constituted Latin text and an extensive introduction that illuminates the speech’s language, technique, and cultural context.
Most recently, he completed a digital critical edition and textual commentary on Ovid’s Ibis—one of antiquity’s most enigmatic poems—now undergoing review for publication in the Digital Latin Library. In addition to ongoing projects exploring classical reception, pedagogy, and technical elements of Latin verse, he is known for a vibrant teaching style grounded in intellectual curiosity, clarity, and care for students.
Professor Keeline’s appointment as Chair builds on more than a decade of contributions to the department, including his mentorship of graduate students, his leadership in curriculum development, and his commitment to a humanities grounded in both rigor and inclusivity.
Looking Ahead
With deep appreciation for Professor Timothy Moore’s tenure and great enthusiasm for Professor Tom Keeline’s forthcoming leadership, the department looks forward to continued growth, creativity, and scholarly excellence.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Tom Keeline on his new role and in thanking Professor Tim Moore for his exceptional service to the department.
