Ann Weaver Hart, president of the University of Arizona, has announced that she will leave her post in June 2018 when her current contract expires. When she took office in July 2012, she was the first woman to hold the presidency of the university.
In announcing her decision, President Hart said that she was proud “for all we have accomplished and will accomplish in the years ahead. Now is the time to plan for the future. This is a natural choice and one that all of us must make in some time in our lives.” Dr. Hart will remain at the university as a full-time faculty member.
Before becoming president of the University of Arizona, Dr. Hart was president of Temple University in Philadelphia and the University of New Hampshire. She also served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Claremont Graduate University in California.
Recently, President Hart came under criticism for receiving a significant pay raise at a time when a reduction in state funding forced staff cuts at the university. She was also criticized for her decision to join the board of directors of the DeVry Education Group, which had been the subject of a lawsuit for deceptive advertising filed by the Federal Trade Association.
President Hart holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in history, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Utah.