Appointments, Resignations, Deaths (5/5/2017)

Chief executives

Appointments

Zarina Blankenbaker, executive vice president for academic affairs and student success at Richland College, in Dallas, was named president of Tarrant County College-Northwest Campus. She will start on June 1.

Deanne Horner D’Emilio, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Carlow University, was named president of Gwynedd Mercy University. She will succeed Kathleen Owens, the university’s first lay president, who will step down on July 31 after 15 years in office. Ms. D’Emilio, who will start on August 1, will also serve as a professor of management at Gwynedd Mercy.

Lawrence Jensen was appointed president of the College of St. Joseph, in Vermont. He had served as interim president since last year, when he took over from Richard Lloyd, who left to lead a college in Nebraska. Mr. Jensen, who held vice-presidential posts in business, had been chair of the college’s Board of Trustees.

Kristina Johnson, a former U.S. under secretary of energy under President Barack Obama, was named chancellor of the State University of New York system. She will succeed Nancy Zimpher, who will step down in June after eight years in office. Ms. Johnson, an engineer, will start at SUNY on September 5. She is the founder and chief executive of Cube Hydro Partners, which develops hydroelectric facilities.

John Knapp, president of Hope College, in Michigan, will become president of Washington & Jefferson College, in Pennsylvania, on August 1. He will succeed Tori Haring-Smith, who will retire on June 30 after 12 years at the helm.

Linda Livingstone will become the first woman to serve as president of Baylor University when she takes office on June 1. She will be leaving George Washington University, where she is dean of the School of Business. Ms. Livingstone will take over from David Garland, who has served as interim president since last year.

Mark Nemec, dean of the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies at the University of Chicago, was named president of Fairfield University. He will join Fairfield on July 1 and will also serve as a professor of politics there. He will take over from Lynn Babington, who has served as interim president following the Rev. Jeffrey von Arx’s departure last year.

Gregory Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, will become president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in mid-July. He will succeed Mark Gearan, who has led the colleges for 18 years.

Retirements

Stanley Jensen, who has served as president of Henry Ford College since 2013, will retire on June 30, 2018.

Chief academic officers

Appointments

Jeffrey Breese, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Dominican University, in Illinois, to vice president for academic affairs and dean at the University of Mount Union, in Ohio.

Kathy Harring, interim provost and vice president and dean of institutional effectiveness and planning, to provost and vice president for academic affairs at Muhlenberg College.

Kathryn LaFontana, associate vice president for academic affairs for mission, new programs, and assessment at the College of New Rochelle, to vice president for academic affairs at Ursuline College.

Teik Lim, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati, to provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Retirements

Diane Allen, who has served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Salisbury University, in Maryland, since 2009, plans to retire on June 30.

Other top administrators

Appointments

J. Bryan Benchoff, vice president for university advancement at Ohio University and president and chief executive of its foundation, to vice president for institutional advancement at Louisiana State University and president and chief executive of its foundation.

Evelyn Buchanan, vice president for institutional advancement at Carthage College, in Wisconsin, to vice president for development and alumni engagement at Franklin College, in Indiana.

Zebulun Davenport, who has served as West Chester University’s interim vice president for student affairs since August of last year, was appointed permanently to the role.

James Fletcher, former vice president for finance and administration at Idaho State University, to vice chancellor for administrative services at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

Shane Jacobson, vice president for development and alumni relations at Grinnell College, to president and chief executive of the University of Vermont Foundation.

Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, executive director of ASU Gammage, a multipurpose performing-arts center at Arizona State University, to an additional post, vice president for cultural affairs.

Michele Murray, vice president for the division of student development at Seattle University, to vice president for student affairs and dean of students at College of the Holy Cross, in Massachusetts.

Janice Orlov, senior director of finance and administration in the provost’s office at the University of Pennsylvania, to vice president for administration and finance at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Katie Paquet, deputy chief of staff to the president, to vice president for media relations and strategic communications at Arizona State University.

Stephanie Pianka, vice president for financial operations, to senior vice president for finance and budget and chief financial officer at New York University.

Elizabeth Sharp, associate chair and associate professor of human development and family studies, to interim vice president for institutional diversity, equity, and community engagement at Texas Tech University.

Kevin Wilburn, vice president for advancement, to vice president for business development at the University of Mobile. He will retain his position as assistant to the president for church relations.

Charity Wittner, interim vice president for enrollment at the University of Mobile, was appointed permanently to the post.

Retirements

Jacqueline Peterson, who has served as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at College of the Holy Cross, in Massachusetts, will retire after 20 years there.

Cathy Scroggs, vice chancellor for student affairs in the University of Missouri system, will retire on July 31.

Deans

Appointments

Dorine Bennett, interim dean of the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University, was appointed permanently to the post.

Laura Bloomberg, associate dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, to dean of the school.

Tim Chapin, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Florida State University, was appointed permanently to the role.

Brian Crabtree, professor and chair of the pharmacy-practice department at Wayne State University, to dean of the College of Pharmacy at Mercer University.

John Green, who has served as interim dean of the College of Buchtel Arts and Sciences at the University of Akron since October 2015, will become dean.

Martin Halbert, dean of libraries at the University of North Texas, to dean of university libraries at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mark Huntington, associate dean of natural and health sciences in the College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences at Manchester University, to dean of natural and health sciences.

Gregory Mandel, interim dean of the Beasley School of Law at Temple University, was appointed permanently to the post.

Christopher Peters, associate dean of faculty scholarship in the School of Law and a professor of law at the University of Baltimore, to dean of the School of Law at the University of Akron.

Leslie Reynolds, senior associate dean, to interim dean of university libraries at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

J. Sanford (Sandy) Rikoon, interim dean, to dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Ken Schenck, founding dean of Wesley Seminary and a professor of New Testament and ancient languages at Indiana Wesleyan University, to dean of the university’s School of Theology and Ministry.

Aimee Shouse, professor and chair of the women’s-studies department at Western Illinois University, to dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at Southwest Minnesota State University.

Stephen Tanzilli, former chair of the sports, arts, and entertainment program, to dean of the Rowland School of Business at Point Park University.

Charles Wright, chair of the art department at Western Illinois University, to dean of academic affairs at the Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University.

Retirements

Jan Loft, who has served as dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at Southwest Minnesota State University since 2011, will retire. She has worked at the university for 29 years.

Hewitt W. (Ted) Matthews, who has served as dean of the College of Pharmacy at Mercer University for 27 years, will retire at the end of the academic year.

Other administrators

Appointments

Noël Bakhtian, senior policy adviser for environment and energy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, a collaborative effort between Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho State University, Boise State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of Wyoming.

Abby Benson, executive director of the University of Colorado at Boulder’s AeroSpace Ventures, to assistant vice chancellor for research and innovation, industry collaboration, and AeroSpace Ventures.

Lonnie Burnett, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Mobile, to an additional post, associate vice president for academic affairs.

Elaine Collins-Brown, former director of faculty development at Western Michigan University, to director of the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning at Winston-Salem State University.

Tonya Gollotte, executive director of corporate and foundational relations and director of annual giving, to associate vice president for advancement at the University of Mobile.

Elizabeth Hansen, director of finance and administration, to director of data administration for the facilities department at Virginia Tech.

Jay Harmon, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and an extension specialist in livestock housing, to interim associate dean of extension and outreach programs and interim director of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension at Iowa State University.

Rénard Harris, interim associate vice president and chief diversity officer at the College of Charleston, was appointed permanently to the post.

Josh Hawkins, chief operating officer and interim assistant vice president for alumni relations and annual giving at the University of Louisville, was named permanently to the post as assistant vice president.

Gary Hua, chief information officer and head of investment operations at China Investment Corporation, to managing director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton China Center, in Beijing.

Brian Justison, professor of music and coordinator of percussion studies, to director of the Millikin University School of Music.

Jennifer Labate, a lawyer specializing in labor and employment law, to Title IX and disability coordinator at Post University.

Bart Liddle, an assistant professor of management, to assistant dean of health-care programs and chair of the department of management, entrepreneurship, and marketing at Lipscomb University.

Henry (Hank) Malin, vice president for human resources for corporate functions at General Mills, to assistant vice president and executive director of the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration at Denison University.

Tia Minnis, executive director of assessment and institutional effectiveness at Clark Atlanta University, to associate vice provost and executive director of institutional effectiveness at Virginia State University.

Patricia Pratt-Cook, vice president for human resources and chief diversity officer at the College of St. Scholastica, in Minnesota, to senior vice president for human resources, equity, and inclusion at St. Catherine University, in Minnesota.

Witt Salley, dean of the School of Online Education at Virginia International University, to associate provost for the Center for Teaching and Learning at Maryland University of Integrative Health.

Kimberly Simón, director of risk intervention and safety education, to Title IX administrator at Texas Tech University.

Heidi VanGenderen, director of public engagement and external affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, will serve as the University of Colorado at Boulder’s first chief sustainability officer.

Resignations

Florence Boldridge, who has served as director of the diversity and women’s programs in the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas for 34 years, will step down on June 30.

Department chairs

Appointments

John Oghalai, director of the Stanford Children’s Hearing Center, director of the Clinician-Scientist Training Program in Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, and a professor in the department of otolaryngology — head and neck surgery at Stanford University, to chair of the otolaryngology — head-and-neck-surgery department at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

Faculty

Appointments

Eleanor Brown, a professor of law at George Washington University, to a senior scientist in the Rock Ethics Institute and a professor of law and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University at University Park.

Sarah Deer, a former professor of law at Mitchell Hamline College of Law, to a professor in the department of women, gender, sexuality studies and the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas.

Brian McClendon, vice president for maps and business platform at Uber, to a part-time research professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas.

Organizations

Appointments

Edward Ayers, a professor of humanities and president emeritus of the University of Richmond, to an additional post, president of the Organization of American Historians, for 2017-18.

Michelle Stipp, director of financial aid at Roosevelt University, to an additional post, president of the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Retirements

Neal Abraham, executive director of the Five College Consortium since 2009, plans to retire in June 2018.

Deaths

Hubert Lederer Dreyfus, 87, a professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, died on April 22. Mr. Dreyfus, who retired in 1994 but remained active in the Graduate School as a professor, taught at the university for almost 50 years. He was known for his writings on the limits of artificial intelligence.

Michael Gannon, 89, a professor of history at the University of Florida, died on April 10.

Harry Huskey, 101, a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California at Santa Cruz, died on April 9. Mr. Huskey, a pioneer in computer science, helped to develop in 1954 what was once considered the first personal computer. He also helped to establish computer centers and computer-science programs at universities around the world.

Dennis Kinlaw, 94, a former president of Asbury College (now Asbury University), died on April 10. Mr. Kinlaw led the college for two terms: first for 13 years, starting in 1968, and then for five years, starting in 1986.

J. Irwin Peters, 93, a former professor of marketing at DePaul University, died on March 19 in Evanston, Ill.

Victor Melvin Signori, 84, a former dean of students at Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University at Billings), died on March 25.

Kenneth Toepfer, 88, provost emeritus and a professor of higher education at Teachers College, Columbia University, died on March 19 in State College, Pa. He also served as executive vice president at the American University in Cairo.

Edward Vasta, 89, a professor emeritus of English at the University of Notre Dame, died on March 20 in South Bend, Ind.

Thomas Wolanin, 74, who played a role in strengthening and expanding federal student-grant-and-loan programs, died on April 2 after a two-year battle with cancer. As staff director of the House education committee’s subcommittee on postsecondary education, he managed the reauthorizations of the Higher Education Acts of 1980, 1986, and 1992. During the Clinton administration, he served for three years as deputy assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs in the U.S. Department of Education. He was also a research professor of education policy and political science at George Washington University, and a senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy.

William E. Wright, 90, founding director of the Center for Austrian Studies and a former professor of history at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, died on February 24.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko, 84, a Russian poet who taught at the University of Tulsa as a professor of literature, died on April 1 in Tulsa, Okla.

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Correction (5/5/2017, 12:12 p.m.): This article has been updated to clarify that Noël Bakhtian is the director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, a collaborative effort between Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho State University, Boise State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of Wyoming.

Correction (5/2/2017, 6:57 p.m.): The original version of this article misspelled the first name of Stephanie Pianka, who was promoted to senior vice president for finance and budget and chief financial officer at New York University. It is Stephanie, not Stephani. The error has been corrected.