Ruth Watkins

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ruth V. Watkins
16th President of the
University of Utah
In office
April 2, 2018 – April 7, 2021
Preceded byDavid W. Pershing
Succeeded byTaylor R. Randall
Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs of the
University of Utah
In office
August 1, 2013 – April 2, 2018
Preceded byDavid W. Pershing
Succeeded byDaniel A. Reed
Personal details
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • University of Utah

    • Ruth V. Watkins is a student of speech language pathology, and the former president of the University of Utah.[1][2] She stepped down from the role on April 7, 2021, to enter the private sector.

    Education

    Watkins completed a

    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.[4][6]

    Career

    In 1989, Watkins was appointed as an assistant professor at the

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor,[3] and was appointed associate dean for academic and research affairs in the College of Applied Life Studies in 2000, then associate provost responsible for undergraduate education and academic affairs in 2003.[4] She served in this capacity until she was promoted to vice provost, a post she held from 2006 to 2008.[3] In 2008, she was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,[4] which included approximately 600 faculty, 2,500 graduate students, and 12,000 undergraduate students, with an annual operating budget of about $142 million.[3]

    On April 4, 2013, it was announced that Watkins would assume the post of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Utah (U of U). She officially began in this capacity on August 1, 2013, also receiving an appointment as a full professor in the Department of Linguistics.[3] Her work in this position has included advocacy for better online education[7] and an emphasis on cross-disciplinary science,[8] including support for interdisciplinary cluster hires via her creation of the Transformative Excellence Program.[9][10]

    On January 18, 2018, Watkins was appointed as the 16th president of the U of U. She officially assumed this position on April 2, 2018, and was the first woman to serve in the post.

    Spencer Cox.[11]

    Murder of Lauren McCluskey

    Watkins was questioned for the university's actions in and response to the murder on campus of track athlete Lauren McCluskey in 2018, including her "insistence shortly after the murder that there wasn’t 'any reason to believe this tragedy could have been prevented'.”

    Watkins faced criticism [12] from the student-run newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle.

    In a press conference on the second anniversary of the murder, announcing a $13.5 million settlement to a foundation in McCluskey's name which will promote campus safety, Watkins stated the university had "failed Lauren."

    On January 12, 2021, Watkins announced that she would be stepping down as president of the University of Utah as of April 7, 2021 to become president of Strada Impact.[13] When asked to comment, McCluskey's mother Jill indicated she and her husband "wish Watkins the best in her future endeavors" and would continue to work with campus leaders to improve safety.[14]

    References

    1. ^ a b "Ruth V. Watkins Named New U President". University of Utah. January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
    2. ^ a b Pershing, David. "Pershing Passes the Torch". utah.edu. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
    3. ^ a b c d e f "University of Utah Names Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs - University of Utah News". archive.unews.utah.edu. April 4, 2013.
    4. ^ a b c d e f Ciciora, Phil. "Vice provost named dean of U. of I. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences".
    5. OCLC 38542306
      .
    6. OCLC 612912939 – via ProQuest
      .
    7. ^ Watkins, Ruth (May 7, 2015). "Online learning is here to stay". The Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015.
    8. ^ Watkins, Ruth. "Op-ed: Future of scientific research lies in cross-disciplinary teams". The Salt Lake Tribune.
    9. ^ "Big Problems, Bold Solutions: The Transformative Excellence Program - Academic Affairs". academic-affairs.utah.edu. August 12, 2014.
    10. ^ "Transformative Excellence Program - Academic Affairs". academic-affairs.utah.edu. February 28, 2014.
    11. ^ Tanner, Courtney. "'We have a duty to transform education for the 21st century': University of Utah inaugurates Ruth Watkins, its first female president". sltrib.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
    12. ^ "Reese: My Open Letter to President Watkins". October 10, 2019.
    13. ^ "U President Ruth V. Watkins accepts top post at Strada Impact | @theU".
    14. ^ Cortez, Marjorie (January 12, 2021). "University of Utah President Ruth Watkins moving on after 3 years". deseret.com. Deseret News. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruth_Watkins&oldid=1286242708"