Two Women Among the Five Finalists for President of Wichita State University

Wichita State University in Kansas has announced five finalists, one of whom will be selected as the next president of the educational institution. The candidates are visiting campus this month for interviews and open forums. Two of the five finalists are women.

Lisa A. Rossbacher is president of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia. She has held that post since 1998. From 1995 to 1998, she was a professor of geology and dean of the college at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She previously served on the faculty and in the administration at Whittier College in California and California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.

Dr. Rossbacher is a graduate of Dickinson College. She holds a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in geological and geophysical sciences from Princeton University.

Glen Hahn Cope is provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and a professor of public policy administration and political science at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. She has been on the faculty there since 2004. Previously, she served for eight years as dean of the College of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Earlier in her career, she taught at the University of Texas and American University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Cope is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in economics. She holds a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in public administration from Ohio State University.

Update: On April 27, John William Bardo was named the next president of Wichita State University.