Inside Iowa State

Sept. 22, 2006

Provost candidates visit campus

by Diana Pounds

he dean of the College of Science at Purdue University, and a former University of Colorado president and Iowa State dean are finalists for the executive vice president and provost position.

Jeffrey Vitter, a dean since 2002 at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., interviewed on campus

Sept. 19-20, and Elizabeth Hoffman, professor of economics and public affairs at the University of Colorado, is interviewing Sept. 21-22.

Jeffrey Vitter

Before becoming dean at Purdue, Vitter was at Duke University, Durham, N.C., where he chaired the department of computer science (1993-2001) and served as the Lehrman Professor of Computer Science (1993-2002). He also was the co-director and founding member of Duke's Center for Geometric and Biological Computing (1997-2002).

From 1980 to 1993, Vitter was on the faculty of Brown University, advancing to the rank of professor.

He received the B.S. in mathematics (1977) from the University of Notre Dame, the Ph.D. in computer science (1980) from Stanford University and the M.B.A. (2002) from Duke University.

Elizabeth Hoffman

Hoffman was president of the University of Colorado system from 2000 to 2005.

Prior to that, she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois, Chicago (1997-2000), and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of economics at Iowa State (1993-97).

Hoffman was on the faculty at the University of Arizona, where she served as associate dean and MBA program director (1989-93) for the Eller Graduate School of Management. She also was on the faculties at the University of Wyoming, Purdue University, Northwestern University and the University of Florida.

Hoffman received the A.B. in history (1968) from Smith College, the M.A. in history (1969) from the University of Pennsylvania, the Ph.D. in history (1972) from the University of Pennsylvania and the Ph.D. in economics (1979) from the California Institute of Technology.

Former ISU provost Benjamin Allen left Iowa State last June to become president of the University of Northern Iowa. Associate provost Susan Carlson is serving as interim provost.

More information on the provost candidates and search is online at http://www.iastate.edu/~provostsearch.

Jeffrey Vitter and Elizabeth Hoffman are finalists for the executive vice president and provost position. More information on the provost candidates and search is online.