Four Women Who Are Leaving Their High-Level Posts at Colleges and Universities

Mary Beahm, interim vice president of human resources at Pennsylvania State University, has announced her retirement from the university, effective January 2019. She has been serving as the school’s chief human resources officer. Throughout her career at Penn State, Beahm has held a number of positions including associate vice president of human resources and senior director of talent acquisition and compensation. Regarding her retirement, Beahm said “Penn State has been an integral part of my life in so many ways; I take great pride in having served as its chief human resources officer during a period of such significant transformation and increasing global prominence.”

Beahm holds a bachelor’s degree in human development, individual and family studies, and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.

Joy Kenseth, professor emerita of art history at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is retiring after 43 years with the university. Her research interests include Renaissance and Baroque art, as well as the particular contributions of major figures, such as Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo. Upon her retirement, Professor Kenseth said, “I shall always be grateful to them and to my interesting and talented colleagues on the faculty who have made my years at the college such a great privilege.”

Dr. Kenseth holds a bachelor’s degree from Hiram College in Ohio and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both from Harvard University.

Liz Liddy, dean of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, has announced her retirement, effective at the end of this academic year. She has served as dean since 2008. During her tenure, the School of Information Studies increased undergraduate enrollment by 71 percent and graduate enrollment by 66 percent, created New York’s first graduate certificate program in data science, established a minor in data analytics, and raised more than $26.2 million in funding for research and development.

Dr. Liddy began her career at Syracuse University as a visiting professor in 1983. “SU has been my home, both professionally and personally, for more than three decades,” says Dean Liddy. “We have accomplished great things as a school and as a University. What makes SU special is the people, commitment to innovation and relentless pursuit of excellence.” Dr. Liddy holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Daemen College in Amherst, New York, and a master of library science degree and Ph.D. in information transfer from Syracuse University.

AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, is stepping down as dean and will be returning to her full-time faculty position effective next summer. She has been a professor at Berkeley since 1989 and has served as dean since 2004. During her tenure, she doubled the school’s faculty and the size of its Ph.D. program. Additionally, she oversaw the development of two professional online master’s programs.

Dr. Saxenian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Jennifer L. Burris Named President of Buffalo State University

Dr. Burris has served as provost of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina for the past four years. She is slated to become the next president of SUNY's Buffalo State University on July 1.

Lisa Thompson Named President of Union Theological Seminary

Dr. Thompson's appointment marks a return to Union Theological Seminary, where she previously taught for three years. Most recently, she was the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Black Homiletics & Liturgics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Five Women Selected to Lead Academic Professional Organizations

Julie Sanford of the University of Alabama, Eileen Boris of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Itohan Osayimwese of Brown University, Jane Grant-Kels of the University of Connecticut, and Rani Sullivan of Mississippi State University have been appointed to leadership positions with professional organizations in their academic fields of study.

Sylvia Torti Appointed President of Westminster University in Salt Lake City

For the past two years, Dr. Torti has served as president of the College of the Atlantic in Maine. Earlier, she was dean of the Honors College at the University of Utah.

Staci Martin Named Sole Finalist for Presidency of Kilgore College in Texas

Dr. Martin has led Kilgore College on an interim basis since November 2025. She has been an administrator with the community college for the past 25 years.

Research Assistant Professor, Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics

The selected candidate should have expertise and experience in theoretical models in labor and public economics as well as in microeconometrics and programming.

Director, School of Music

The University of Arizona School of Music seeks a visionary and collaborative Director to lead its comprehensive music program through a time of opportunity and transformation.

Assistant Professor, Clinician Educator track, in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track.