Joan Leitzel, the seventeenth president of the University of New Hampshire, passed away on March 5. She was 89 years old.
In 1965, Dr. Leitzel began her career in higher education as a mathematics professor at Ohio State University. After many years of teaching, she transitioned to an administrative career as Ohio State’s associate provost for curriculum and instruction. Dr. Leitzel left Ohio State in 1990 to serve as division director in the Directorate of Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation. Two years later, she was appointed provost at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she later had a stint as interim chancellor.
Dr. Letizel was named president of the University of New Hampshire in 1996. One of her most notable contributions to the university was the establishment of the UNH-Manchester campus. Following the passing of her husband in 1998, Dr. Leitzel established an endowment at UNH in his honor, the James Lietzel Scholarship Fund.
After retiring from UNH in 2002, Dr. Leitzel relocated to Columbus, Ohio, to serve in an advisory role at Ohio State, where she helped to restructure the university’s arts and sciences programs. She also consulted with other universities, including Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, Dr. Leitzel remained an active supporter of UNH years after her retirement. In addition to serving on the UNH Foundation board of directors, she helped to create the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education, which facilitates research, teaching programs, and partnerships with local K-12 schools and community organizations.