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The search is on: Candidates for presidency revealed to UT community

Amanda Pitrof, News Editor

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The search for the University of Toledo’s new president was narrowed down Jan. 22 to three candidates, two Caucasian women and an African-American man.

UT has had only one president before who was not a white male. Vikram Kapoor — the 14th president — came to the U.S. from India in 1969, according to nanovk.com.

Whoever is picked will be a landmark in UT’s history as either the university’s first female or African-American president.

The three candidates — Michele Wheatly, Sharon Gaber and Christopher Howard — were selected from a list of 29 applicants. Several of the 4 women and 25 men who applied had prior connections to UT, including Interim President Nagi Naganathan.

Michele Wheatly

  • Age: 58
  • Fact: was born in London, Great Britain
  • Current position: former provost and now professor and senior adviser to the president of West Virginia University
  • Degrees: bachelor’s degree and doctoral degree in comparative physiology from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom, postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary in Canada
  • According to the Toledo Blade, she said, “Clearly I’d like to build on the merger between the health sciences campus and the University of Toledo into the larger whole. It’s a great time for the health sciences and that’s an area in which I have a strong background.”

Sharon Gaber

  • Age: 51
  • Fact: was approved for 25 grant proposals
  • Current position: provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas
  • Degrees: bachelor’s degree from Occidental College, master’s from the University of Southern California, doctorate in city and regional planning from Cornell University
  • According to the Toledo Blade, she said, “I am excited about the opportunities at the University of Toledo and think that my experiences will be helpful in continuing the positive trajectory of the university.”

Christopher Howard

  • Age: 45
  • Fact: earned a Bronze Star with active duty in Afghanistan in 2003
  • Current position: president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia
  • Degrees: bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a doctorate in philosophy in politics from Oxford University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University
  • According to the Toledo Blade, he said, “I’m bringing many experiences including a significant stint as vice president and professor and senior leader at the University of Oklahoma. If you look at the categorization of OU and UT, you see a lot of common ground.”

Information for this section was compiled from a Jan. 23 Toledo Blade article and the University of Toledo’s presidential search website.

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Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.
The search is on: Candidates for presidency revealed to UT community