Karen Ann Holbrook (born November 6, 1942, in

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

) is the regional chancellor of

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

since January 2, 2018.

Career

Holbrook earned her B.S. and M.S. from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, in zoology. After teaching

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

at Ripon College, she earned a Ph.D. in biological structure from the

University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a large public medical school in the northwest United States, located in Seattle and affiliated with the University of Washington. According to ''U.S. News & World Report''s 2022 Best Grad ...

in 1972, where she served as a postdoctoral fellow in dermatology, faculty member and research administrator. She then pursued further training in

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

. She is an alumna of

Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Man ...

sorority. Holbrook was a professor of biological structure and medicine at

, where she became the first woman to be named associate dean at the UW School of Medicine, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

President of Ohio State

From 2002 to 2007, she was the 13th presiding president of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. During Holbrook's tenure, she worked with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman on campus and off-campus safety. This was in reaction to riots following a Michigan–Ohio State football game in 2002. Holbrook announced in June 2006 that she would depart Ohio State when her five-year contract was up in 2007 to spend more time with her husband, Jim. Joseph A. Alutto, dean of the

Max M. Fisher College of Business The Max M. Fisher College of Business is the business school of The Ohio State University, a public research university in Columbus, Ohio. Fisher's campus is located on the northern part of the university within a partially enclosed business ca ...

at Ohio State, replaced Holbrook as an interim president until

Gordon Gee Elwood Gordon Gee (born February 2, 1944), known as E. Gordon Gee, is an American academic. As of 2020, he was serving his second term as President of West Virginia University; his first term was from 1981 to 1985. Gee has held more university pr ...

took his place as the new president. While applying for a position of President at

Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the ...

in 2007, Holbrook lamented on the student culture at Ohio State. She remarked in a job interview that, "They think it's fun to flip cars, to really have absolute drunken orgies. ... I don't want to be at a place that has this kind of culture as a norm." Holbrook later acknowledged that she might have exaggerated her comments.

Post-Ohio State

In 2017, while serving as executive vice president at

, she replaced Terry Osborn as chancellor who was also serving as vice chancellor of academic affairs. From 2013 to 2016, she had served as senior adviser to the president of the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

system. Holbrook has served on the boards of several institutions. She also served as interim president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University– Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees
prior to moving to the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.

References

External links

Letter of resignation and facts about her years as President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holbrook, Karen 1942 births University of Washington School of Medicine alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni University of Georgia faculty, staff and administration Presidents of Ohio State University Ohio State University faculty University of Florida faculty Living people Ripon College (Wisconsin) faculty