Pamela Whitten Will Be the First Woman President of Indiana University

The Indiana University board of trustees has named Pamela Whitten as the university’s nineteenth president. When she takes office on July 1, she will become the first woman to lead the research university in its 201-year history.

Indiana University enrolls more than 33,000 undergraduates and more than 10,000 graduate students, according to the latest figures obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 49 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Dr. Whitten has served as president of Kennesaw State University in Georgia since 2018. From 2014 to 2018, Dr. Whitten was provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at the University of Georgia. Earlier in her career, she was dean of the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. She was on the faculty at Michigan State from 1998 to 2014.

“Indiana University is one of our nation’s finest public research universities, with a rich history, wonderful traditions, and a worldwide reputation for excellence,” Dr. Whitten said. “This is an especially exciting time as IU builds upon its 200 years of success, strengthening its mission of delivering outstanding education and innovative research. I’m deeply honored to be selected to lead this great university, and I look forward to working with the exceptional faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of IU to seize the opportunities and challenges ahead, creating a better future for all of those we serve.”

Dr. Whitten holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Tulane University in New Orleans. She earned a master’s degree in communication from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Kansas.