By: Kate Luce
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Pamela Whitten was officially named to be the next IU President, according to News at IU. She is the first female president IU has had, in over 200 years of establishment in Indiana.
Whitten has had a multitude of leadership roles and is currently the President of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.
The incoming president has a doctorate. in communication studies from the University of Kansas, a Masters of Arts in communications at the University of Kentucky and a Bachelors in Science in management at Tulane University.
According to IU’s Board of Trustees, she has distinguishing characteristics and experiences that IU was initially looking for in the next leader.
Whitten was appointed by IU’s Board of Trustees. The presidential search was private, as no names or news about the search was announced until Friday, April 16 with the news of Whitten becoming President.
While the search was mostly private, it was criticized by students for not prioritizing diversity. Indiana Daily Student reported that at one point in the search 75% of the candidates were white. However, throughout the search, the candidates were split evenly across men and women.
Whitten is set to officially take the position once current IU President, Michael A McRobbie retires in June of this year. McRobbie has served as President since 2007.
To watch her announcement of becoming President-elect, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDvQ9NsRZtQ&ab_channel=IndianaUniversity.
To see a complete list of Whitten’s accomplishments, visithttps://www.iu.edu/about/leadership/incoming-president/career-highlights.html.
