College Mourns the Death of Kim Tunnicliff

Director of off-campus studies killed in car crash early Thursday morning

WOOSTER, Ohio — Kim Tunnicliff, director of off-campus studies at The College of Wooster, was killed early Thursday morning (June 16) in a head-on collision on U.S. Route 30, about an hour west of Wooster. Tunnicliff, 56, who was returning from his son’s 18th birthday party in Chicago, was struck by a minivan that crossed the median and hit his vehicle at about 12:30 a.m.

“Words cannot adequately express the sadness and grief we all feel at this moment,” said College of Wooster President Grant Cornwell. “Our hearts go out to Kim's family and friends. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”

Tunnicliff came to Wooster last August from Augustana College, where he had served as director of international programs and associate professor of political science for the previous three years. Prior to that, he served as vice president for Associated Colleges of the Midwest for eight years. The majority of his career (1984-1999) was spent at Albion College, where he taught world politics, American foreign policy, international relations, U.S. national security policy, Russian politics, and a variety of other courses. He also served as director of Albion’s Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Service. Tunnicliff held a B.A. from Macalester College and a Ph.D. from University of Iowa. He is survived by his wife and three children.

The City of Albion issued a resolution on Friday in honor of Tunnicliff's many contributions, including his term as mayor (1997-1999). Funeral arrangements are pending, and will be posted here as soon as they are complete.