Ruth V. Watkins Selected as the Next President of the University of Utah

The State Board of Regents has selected Ruth V. Watkins to be the sixteenth president of the University of Utah. When she takes office this spring, she will be the first woman to serve as the permanent president of the university in its 168-year history.

In accepting the post, Dr. Watkins said “the University of Utah plays a vital role in the state, and increasingly the nation, in path-breaking research that solves societal challenges and educational opportunities that transform lives. My goal is to ensure that we continue and accelerate this trajectory in the years ahead.”

Since 2013, Dr. Watkins has served as the senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Utah. Earlier in her career, she served for 20 years on the faculty at the University of Illinois. There, she was associate provost for undergraduate education, vice provost and chief of staff, and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Watkins is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, where she majored in speech-language pathology. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in child language development from the University of Kansas.