All Entries in the "Milestones" Category
The First Woman President of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Dr. Thomas has been serving as the executive vice president at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. She began her service there in 2017 as vice president of enrollment management and institutional advancement.
Melissa Gilliam Will Be the First Woman President of Boston University
Dr. Gilliam has been provost at Ohio State University since July 2021. Earlier, she was vice provost, the Ellen H. Block Distinguished Service Professor of Health Justice, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Chicago. She will become president of Boston University on July 1, 2024.
Berenecea Johnson Eanes Will Be the First Woman President of California State University, Los Angeles
Since 2020, Dr. Eanes has served as president of York College of the City University of New York. She served as vice president for student affairs at California State University, Fullerton from 2012 to 2019. Earlier, Dr. Eanes was vice president of student affairs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York.
Anita Olson Gustafson Is the First Woman President of Presbyterian College in South Carolina
Dr. Gustafson was the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a professor of history at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Professor Gustafson’s teaching and scholarly interests include American immigration history, Swedish immigration, and the history of American women.
Constance St. Germain Will Be the First Woman President of Capella University
Dr. St. Germain joined Capella University in 2017 as provost. Earlier she was the executive dean at the University of Phoenix and vice president, dean, and professor of criminal justice for the American Public University System. She will become president of the university in September.
Kimberly Andrews Espy Will Be the First Woman President of Wayne State University in Detroit
Dr. Espy has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a position she has held since 2018. Earlier, she was senior vice president for research at the University of Arizona and dean of the graduate school at the University of Oregon.
Michele Carter Will Be the First Women Chancellor of Central Texas College in Killeen
Dr. Carter began her career at Central Texas College 32 years ago as a receptionist. Most recently, she has served as deputy chancellor of finance and administration. When she takes office on July 1, she will be the first woman and the first African American to lead the college.
Aysegul Timur Will Be the First Woman President of Florida Gulf Coast University
Aysegul Timur currently serves as vice president and vice provost for strategy and program innovation at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. Originally from Türkiye, Dr. Timur came to the United States 25 years ago, learned English, and, within the next four years, earned a doctorate from the University of South Florida.
Lina Bernaola to Become the First Latina President of the Entomology Society of America
A native of Lima, Peru, Dr. Bernaola’s research focuses on pests that prey on rice crops in Texas. Broadly, her research seeks to identify and develop sustainable and cost-effective management programs for insect pests of rice.
The First Woman to Serve on a Permanent Basis as Archivist of the United States
Colleen Shogan has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the eleventh Archivist of the United States.
Kristen Raney Will Be the First Woman President of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Dr. Raney has been serving as vice chancellor for academic affairs at Eastern Iowa Community College in Davenport. Earlier, she held administrative posts at St. Paul Community College in Minnesota and Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
JoAnne Hewett Will Be the First Woman to Direct the Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven Science Associates, a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle Memorial Institute, has operated Brookhaven National Laboratory for the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Science since 1998. Dr. Hewett will also be a tenured faculty member in the department of physics and astronomy at Stony Brook University.
Safa Zaki Will Be the First Women to Lead Bowdoin College Since Its Founding in 1794
Currently, Dr. Zaki is dean of the faculty and the John B. McCoy and John T. McCoy Professor of Psychology at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She joined the faculty at Williams in 2002 as an assistant professor of psychology and was promoted to associate professor in 2005 and to full professor in 2010.
Olivia Pichardo Is the First Woman to Make a NCAA Division I Baseball Team
About 20 women have been members of collegiate baseball rosters at various schools, including eight for the 2023 season — but only Olivia Pichardo of Brown University has made a baseball team at the NCAA Division I level.
A Major Vote of Confidence for Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone
The board of regents of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has voted to extend the contract of university president Linda A. Livingstone until 2032. In 2017, Dr. Livingstone became the first woman president of the university in its then 172-year history.
Neeli Bendapudi Has Been Selected as the Next President of Pennsylvania State University
When she takes office in the spring, Dr. Bendapudi will be the university’s nineteenth president and the first woman to hold the position. Dr. Bendapudi has been serving as president of the University of Louisville since May 15, 2018. Earlier, Dr. Bendapudi was executive vice chancellor and provost at the flagship campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
A Scholar of International Terrorism Will Be the First Woman President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Since 2016, Louise Richardson has been the vice chancellor of the University of Oxford in England. Earlier, she was the first woman to serve as principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Dr. Richardson served on the faculty at Harvard University for 20 years and was the executive dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She will begin her leadership of the Carnegie Corporation in January 2023.
Undergraduate Business Programs at the University of Southern California Reach Gender Parity
For the first time, the undergraduate business administration degree program at the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has reached gender parity in its first-year class. Women make up 52 percent of the incoming Class of 2025. Two years ago, women made up 43 percent of the incoming class.
Women Outnumber Men in the Entering Class of Physics Doctoral Students at Yale University
Nationally, only about 20 percent of physics doctorate holders are women. But for the first time in the history of Yale University, the incoming class of physics doctoral students, who will likely graduate in 2027 or 2028, will include more women than men.
Jean’ne Shreeve Celebrates 60 Years on the Chemistry Department Faculty at the University of Idaho
Jean’ne Shreeve, now 87 years old, is a University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of Idaho. Her research has focused on synthesizing compounds that contain fluorine, an extremely reactive element that can be used in rocket fuel oxidizers.
Montserrat Fuentes Will Be the Next President of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas
Dr. Fuentes has been serving as professor of statistics and executive vice president and provost at the University of Iowa. Earlier, she served on the faculty at North Carolina State University and was dean of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Three Women Earn Engineering Doctorates at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
For the first time in its history, the School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has awarded doctorates to three women students in the same term. The women, Sandra Cutts, Jaquice Boyd, and Ashlyn Manzella, all received their doctoral degrees in civil engineering.
Madeline Pumariega Will Be the First Woman President of Miami Dade College
In her most recent role, Pumariega has been serving as executive vice president and provost at Tallahassee Community College in Florida. Pumariega was appointed as the first woman and first Hispanic chancellor of the Florida College System in 2015.
The First Woman Dean of the School of Science at MIT
Nergis Mavalvala, the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics, has been named the new dean of School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Mavalvala is known for her pioneering work in gravitational-wave detection.
Elizabeth Mauch Named the First Woman President of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas
Dr. Mauch has been serving as interim president for the past year. Earlier, she was vice president of academic affairs at the college. From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Mauch was dean of the College of Education at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She also served as a professor of mathematics at the university.
Northwestern University Appoints Kathleen Hagerty as Its First Woman Provost
Dr. Hagerty has been serving as an interim provost since April. Earlier, she was interim dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern and senior associate dean of faculty and research. Dr. Hagerty, who holds the First Chicago Professorship in Finance, has been on the faculty at the university for more than 30 years.
Women Make Up the Entire Surgical Residency Class at Saint Louis University
The Saint Louis University School of Medicine was established in 1836. It was the first school west of the Mississippi River to grant a medical degree. Now in 2020, for the first time in history, the surgical residency class at the medical school is made up entirely of women.
Suzanne Rivera Will Be the First Woman to Lead Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota
Dr. Rivera has been serving as vice president for research and technology management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Prior to her time at CWRU, Dr. Rivera spent seven years at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center working both in the Office of the Dean and Provost and in research leadership roles.
Marsha Kelliher Appointed President of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa
Since 2017, Kelliher was served as president of Walsh College in Troy Michigan. Earlier, she was dean of Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. When she takes office on June 1, Kelliher will become the first woman to serve as president of Simpson College since its founding in 1860.
Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson Will Be the First Woman President of Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage
Davidson is well known to Alaskans, having served as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services and then lieutenant governor. She previously served as senior director of legal and intergovernmental affairs for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
A Milestone Appointment for a Woman in College Football
Heather Marini, a native of Australia, was promoted to quarterbacks coach at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is the first woman to serve as a position coach in the history of NCAA Division I intercollegiate football.
Lori White Will Be the First Woman to Lead DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana
Dr. White has been serving as vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis. Earlier, she worked as vice president for student affairs and clinical professor of education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Dr. White will become president of DePauw University on July 1.
Erika James Will Be the First Woman to Lead the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
When she takes office on July 1, Erika James will be the first woman and the first African American to lead the prestigious business school since its founding in 1881. Since 2014, Dr. James has been serving as dean of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta.
Jill Tiefenthaler Will Be the Next Chief Executive Officer of the National Geographic Society
Jill Tiefenthaler, president of Colorado College since 2011, will leave her post this summer to become the chief executive officer of the National Geographic Society. Dr. Tiefenthaler will be the first woman to lead the society in its 132-year history.
Candice Storey Lee Is the First Woman Athletic Director at Vanderbilt University in Nashville
Dr. Lee has been serving as associate vice chancellor and deputy athletic director. She has been the department’s senior woman administrator for the athletics program since 2004. Dr. Lee was a four-year varsity letter winner in basketball and holds three degrees from Vanderbilt University.
