Dr. Carol C. Harter, president and professor of English at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo, was appointed president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at a special meeting of the UCCSN Board of Regents on Feb. 15. Dr. Harter will be the seventh person and first woman to hold the chief executive office at UNLV.
Dr. Jill Derby, UCCSN regent and chair of the UNLV Presidential Search Committee, commented, "I am absolutely thrilled with the selection of Dr. Harter as the next president of UNLV. Dr. Harter possesses the professional experience, energy, and desire, and academic and educational values needed to lift UNLV to the next level of academic standards and performance."
"I have known Dr. Harter for many years as we are both from the SUNY system," said UCCSN Chancellor Richard Jarvis. "I am delighted she will be joining our leadership team; she will be an enormous asset to Nevada's higher education system."
Harter currently serves as president and professor of English at SUNY Geneseo, a school that is nationally known for its quality and value in undergraduate education.
Among her numerous achievements at Geneseo, Harter cites the development of clear academic mission and goals, embodied in the document "A Quest for Excellence: Geneseo's Plan for a Decade," creation of a General Education Committee to oversee the general education program and monitor the core curriculum, creation of an internal grant fund to support faculty research, and implementation of an aggressive advocacy program.
As president of SUNY Geneseo, Dr. Harter has worked closely with the foundation board and the alumni associations for the university. She initiated the first comprehensive fund-raising campaign in the 125-year history of Geneseo and dramatically increased private-sector support for faculty scholarship and research. Dr. Harter also has considerable experience in intercollegiate athletics. She currently serves on the NCAA Presidents Commission and NCAA Review and Planning Committee.
Before her tenure at Geneseo, Dr. Harter served as vice president for administration and vice president and dean of students at Ohio University.
Dr. Harter received her Ph.D. with distinguished dissertation in English and American literature from SUNY Binghamton in 1970. She received her M.A. in English from SUNY Binghamton in 1967 and her B.A. in English from SUNY Binghamton's Harpur College in 1964.
Throughout her administrative career, Dr. Harter has continued to teach and publish on both literary and higher education leadership topics. She is the co-author of two books, E.L. Doctorow (G.K. Hall, Boston, 1990) and John Irving (G.K. Hall, 1986), and has served as keynote speaker at numerous conferences on professional leadership and women in higher education.
Dr. Harter, 53, is married to Dr. Michael Harter, dean of the School of Professions at SUNY, Brockport. They have two married sons, Michael Ross, 33, a teacher; and Sean Patrick, 29, an attorney. She will receive an annual salary of $155,000, a housing allowance of $12,000 per year, an annual automobile allowance of $6,000, and the use of an annual $5,000 host account. She was appointed on a three-year contract with tenure.
Dr. Harter will assume the UNLV presidency on July 1.
