Pamela Whitten is an American academic administrator and telemedicine specialist. She currently serves as the 19th president of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and is the first female president in the university's history. She previously served as the 5th president of

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was fou ...

and served on the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics.

Early life and education

Pamela Whitten grew up in Tennessee. She lived in Brentwood and Memphis before her family moved when she was 14. Whitten earned her bachelor's degree in management from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

School of Business in 1985, her master's degree in organizational communication from the University of Kentucky in 1986 and her PhD in communication studies from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 1996.

Career

Whitten is a telemedicine specialist. She has published over 100 peer reviewed articles and two books about the subject. After receiving her PhD in communication studies from University of Kansas in 1996, Whitten became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the

University of Kansas Medical Center The University of Kansas Medical Center, commonly referred to as KU Med or KUMC, is a medical campus for the University of Kansas. KU Med houses the university's schools of medicine, nursing, and health professions, with the primary health science ...

. In 1998, she moved to

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Telecommunications. She was promoted to Associate Professor and later to full Professor in 2001 and 2005 respectively.

Academic administration

At Michigan State, Whitten was promoted to Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, and then full dean for the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State in 2006, 2007, and 2009 respectively. She served as director of telemedicine at the

and the

dean of College of Communication Arts and Science. Whitten was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs 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 ...

from 2014 until 2018. She was a finalist for the position of chancellor of

University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, in 2016 and also president of the

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

in 2017. In 2018, Whitten became president of

. The following year, in 2019, she joined the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

Committee on Academics. Whitten was named to the ''Atlanta Business Chronicle's'' list of "Atlanta's Most Admired CEOs" in 2020. On April 16, 2021, the

(IU) board of trustees named Whitten the 19th President-Elect of the university. This makes Whitten the first

woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

to ever hold the position of president at IU. Her term as IU president started on July 1, 2021. The presidential search that led to Whitten's appointment was the source of considerable controversy, praising the appointment's contribution to diversity yet questioning her fit for the position.Professor Questions Indiana University Presidential Search, October 18, 2021. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/10/18/professor-questions-indiana-university-presidential-search

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitten, Pamela Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Telemedicine Presidents of Kennesaw State University Presidents of Indiana University University of Kansas faculty Academics from Tennessee Tulane University alumni University of Kentucky alumni University of Kansas alumni Michigan State University faculty University of Georgia faculty National Collegiate Athletic Association people Women heads of universities and colleges