Prior to arriving in Mississippi during the summer of 2016, Patrick served as Director of the Honors Program at Montreat College (NC), where he was awarded the David L. Parks Distinguished Professor Award in 2015. He received his Ph.D in History from Emory University in 2011 and specializes in modern American cultural, intellectual, and religious history. He is currently researching and writing on the historical vision of Walker Percy. He and his wife Julia have three boys and live in Clinton, Mississippi.