For the first time in the university’s 186 years of existence, Capital named its first female president.
Dr. Elizabeth “Beth” Paul, current executive vice president and provost of Stetson University, was introduced as Capital’s 16th president today at 10 a.m. in Schneider Conference Room. She was elected Feb. 6 by a unanimous special vote of the university’s board of trustees.
“I’m here because we share a deep yearning for learning, passion, and purpose,” Paul said in her first speech to campus earlier this morning. “What I found at Capital is a place that puts its thinking to work and applies its thinking to make the world a better place.”
Before working at Stetson, Paul held administrative and faculty positions at The College of New Jersey and Wellesley College and was a research associate at Harvard University.
As a professor of psychology and recent president of the Council on Undergraduate Research, Paul is concerned with student learning outcomes and undergraduate research.
Her own research interests include institutional financial models, faculty workload models, and faculty-student support structures for enhanced learning.
Though Paul will not start her term until July 1, members of the campus community are excited about what her presence could mean for the university.
“Her fit with Capital and the connections she establishes with everyone are truly remarkable,” said Bernie Ostrowski, vice president of the board of trustees and chair of the presidential search committee. “If I had to describe her in one word, it would be ‘passionate.’ She is passionate about education, students, strategic learning, and, most importantly, Capital.”
Some have likened Stetson to Capital, seeing as both schools are small, private institutions known for their nursing, business, and music schools.
“Right away you see her enthusiasm and passion … She creates an immediate buzz in a one-on-one conversation,” said student government president Jackie Niese. “Her attitude says a lot about her. I felt like she cared about me after just three days.”
This search process for finding a new president was unique because of the opportunity that students to be on the search committee.
“Immediately upon meeting her I knew she was passionate about [Capital] and our mission statement,” said Sam Metcalf, a student involved with the search process. “She is a very forward centered person. She set the tone so high.”
Following president Denvy Bowman’s announcement last April that he plans to retire as president July 2016, the board began an eight-month national search for his replacement.
The search committee sent roughly 3,000 search profiles to inform selected individuals about the open position and to request candidate suggestions.
An advertisement for the position appeared in various job board postings, such as Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Education, Hispanic Outlook, Diverse Jobs, Women in Higher Education, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, and Association of Lutheran Development.
The search committee narrowed its applicant pool down to four before selecting Paul last Saturday.
For those who were unable to attend this morning’s announcement, two more receptions are planned for 3:30 p.m. in Schneider and 5 p.m. at Capital University Law School.
