Carol A. Cartwright

Former President

Bowling Green State University, Kent State University

A highly respected voice in higher education, Carol Cartwright’s career has been distinguished by innovative teaching, pioneering research and national leadership. She was president of Bowling Green State University from 2008-2011. Her retirement in June, 2011 marked a 45-year career in public higher education. From 1991-2006, Dr. Cartwright served as president of Kent State University, a role that earned her the distinction of the first female president of a state college or university in Ohio.

Currently, she is co-chair of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, serves on the board of directors for the Collegiate Women Sports Awards, and is a member of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. She is a trustee of Heidelberg University in Tiffin Ohio.

Prior to her presidency at Kent State, she was vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of California at Davis, and dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost of The Pennsylvania State University. She served as a member of the Penn State faculty from 1967-1988, where she led a variety of research projects and authored numerous books, professional publications and technical reports.

Dr. Cartwright held prominent leadership roles in higher education’s most influential national organizations, chairing the board of directors of the American Association for Higher Education and serving on the boards of directors of the American Council on Education, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. She chaired the National Collegiate Athletic Association Executive Committee and served as a member of the NCAA board of directors. She served as a presidential appointee on the board of trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the board of directors of National Public Radio, and she was a founding board member of the National First Ladies Library.