Elizabeth Garrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern California, has been named the first female and 13th president of Cornell University.
Garrett will assume the post in July, when David J. Skorton leaves to become secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. As USC’s second-ranking officer, Garrett oversees 18 professional schools, in addition to the divisions of student affairs, research, libraries, information technology services, student religious life and enrollment services.
In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed her to serve on the nine-member bipartisan Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform.
Other people news:
The Florida State University Board of Trustees has selected state Sen. John E. Thrasher, an FSU alumnus, to serve as the university’s 15th president. He will succeed Eric J. Barron, president since 2010. Wilberforce University (Ohio), the country’s oldest private historically black college and university, has a new president, Algeania Warren Freeman.
Alexander N. Cartwright has been named State University of New York’s provost and executive vice chancellor. He is currently the vice president for research and economic development at the University at Buffalo.
Paul Westerhoff, an Arizona State University engineering professor, was appointed vice provost of academic research programming in September. The new position is designed to elevate ASU’s efforts to meet its 2020 research goals. —Lauren Williams
