Presidents come and go every year in higher education. Occassionally, they even leave and come back. Internal controversy, political oustings and predictable retirements can all lead to power shifts, as plenty of colleges and universities have proved in 2012.
From Robert Koopman’s retirement from St. Johns University to the departure and reinstallation of Teresa Sullivan at the University of Virginia, every school has a story.
Education Dive compiled this list of 10 universities that have switched leadership gears in 2012. Here is a look at what they have all been through so far:
1. CHRISTINA PAXSON
President, Brown University
Christina Paxson was sworn in as Brown University’s new president on July 1, succeeding Ruth Simmons, who led the Ivy League school since 2001. Paxson, previously the Hughes Rogers Professor of Economics and Public Affairs and Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University will be Brown's 19th president. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College, as well as her Ph.D. from Columbia University. Paxson’s appointment followed a six-month search after Simmons announced her resignation in September 2011.
2. LUIS CALINGO
President, Woodbury University
Having held the position of Executive Vice President and Dean earlier at Dominican University, John Carroll University, and California State University, Luis Calingo joins Woodbury University's faculty with substantial leadership experience. Calingo holds a Ph.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and is the author of an internationally distributed textbook on Asian business strategy. Woodbury Faculty members are hopeful that Calingo will bring a fresh perspective to the now 128-year-old school with his international experience, which includes strategic planning in the governments of Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.
3. ANN WEAVER HART
President, University of Arizona
Ann Weaver Hart will step up as the University of Arizona’s 21st president after six years at Temple University in Philadelphia. Hart holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and her Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Utah. Having held numerous past leadership positions, including president of UNH and provost at Claremont Graduate University, Hart is excited to join UA’s community, and has already begun work despite her remote location.
4. ALI HOUSHMAND
Interim President, Rowan University
Ali Houshmand will serve as interim president at Rowan University. Houshmand served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Rowan, and the school experienced academic growth and an increase in research funding while he has been there. Houshmand replaces Donald Farish as the school searches for Rowan’s seventh president.
5. TERESA SULLIVAN
President, University of Virginia
Teresa Sullivan was unanimously elected as the eighth president of the University of Virginia in 2010. Despite controversy surrounding Sullivan’s ousting in early June, the first female President in the school’s history was reinstated just a few weeks later on June 26 after students, parents and faculty rallied around her in support of her reinstatement. The popular president thanked the Board of Visitors for “renewing confidence” in her, and hopes to work with them to move forward in the best interests of the university. The Michigan state graduate holds her Ph.D. from the University Chicago and served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.
6. GUY BAILEY
President, University of Alabama
Guy Bailey, leaves the president's office at Texas Tech to lead the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa as president this fall. The Alabama alumnus received both his bachelor's and master’s degree from UA in the early '70s, and has been partially credited for the growth of Texas Tech’s campus and new public and private research partnerships. UA System Chancellor Robert Witt said Bailey stood out of a candidate pool of over 100 potential hires. After the appointment, Bailey commented, “I hope our next 10 years will be as good as our last 10."
7. MICHAEL HEMESATH
President, St. John’s University
St. John's University has named Michael Hemesath, one of their own, as the university’s new president. The alumnus graduated with a degree in economics, receiving his doctorate in the same course of study from Harvard. Hemesath takes the reigns from retiring Robert Koopman, who has led the university since 2009. Hemesath comes from Carleton College and will be the first lay president at St. John’s since its founding in 1857.
8. MICHAEL GOTTFREDSON
President, University of Oregon
Michael Gottfredson will serve as the University of Oregon’s 17th president. Gottfredson has over 25 years of college administration experience, serving in several positions at the University of Arizona from 1985-2000, and a Provost at the University of California, Irvine, for 12 years before accepting his position at UO. Gottfredson received his A.B. from UC Davis, and his Ph.D. and M.A. from SUNY Albany.
9. ROBERT EASTER
President, University of Illinois
Robert Easter has officially accepted his appointment as the leader of the University of Illinois, though he has been performing presidential duties for several months now. Students and faculty members alike hope Easter’s leadership will bring an end to a tumultuous period in the university’s history—the school has seen two different presidents over the past three years. Easter received his undergraduate degree in agricultural education and his master’s in animal nutrition from Texas A&M.
10. THEODORA KALIKOW
President, University of Southern Maine
Theodora Kalikow has emerged from a week-long retirement to serve as the University of Southern Maine's new President. Kalikow had recently left her position as the longest serving President of the University of Maine at Farmington since the school became a four-year university. She took the job at the request of system chancellor James Page. Kalikow succeeds Selma Botman, USM's president for four years, who stepped down due to controversy surrounding pay raises and program cutbacks. Kalikow has her doctorate in philosophy from Boston University, and hopes to be a catalyst who provokes positive change at USM during her time presidency.
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