Pamela Whitten
Pamela Whitten | |
|---|---|
 Whitten in 2023 | |
| 19th President of Indiana University | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Michael McRobbie |
| 5th President of Kennesaw State University | |
| In office July 16, 2018 – June 30, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Olens |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Schwaig |
| Personal details | |
| Education | Tulane University (BS) University of Kentucky (MA) University of Kansas (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Telecommunications, Telemedicine |
| Institutions | University of Kansas Medical Center Michigan State University University of Georgia Kennesaw State University Indiana University |
| Thesis | Transcending the technology of telemedicine: A case study of telemedicine in North Carolina (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | Beverly Sypher |
Pamela Sasse Whitten[1] is an American scholar in communication studies, currently serving as the 19th president of Indiana University since July 2021. She previously served as the 5th president of Kennesaw State University from 2018 to 2021 and as provost at the University of Georgia from 2014 to 2018.
Early life and education
Pamela Whitten grew up in Tennessee.[2] She lived in Brentwood and Memphis before her family moved when she was 14.[3][4]
Whitten received a bachelor's degree in management from Tulane University School of Business in 1985, a master's degree in organizational communication from the University of Kentucky in 1986, and a PhD in communication studies from the University of Kansas in 1996.[5][6][7]
Career
After receiving her PhD in 1996, Whitten joined the University of Kansas Medical Center as an assistant professor at the Department of Family Medicine.
Michigan State University
In 1998, she moved to Michigan State University as an assistant professor at the Department of Telecommunications. She was promoted to associate professor in 2001 and to full professor in 2005.[6] Whitten did research on telemedicine, and published about 100 peer-reviewed articles and two books about the subject.[5]
At the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University, Whitten was named as assistant dean in 2006, as associate dean in 2007, and then as full dean in 2009.[6] She served as dean of the College of Communication Arts and Science from 2009 to 2014.[8][9][10]
Georgia and Kennesaw State
Whitten served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Georgia from 2014 to 2018.[11]
In July 2018, Whitten became president of Kennesaw State University in Georgia.[12] In 2019, she joined the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics.[8][13]
Indiana University
On April 16, 2021, the Board of Trustees at Indiana University (IU) named Whitten the 19th president-elect of the university. This makes Whitten the first woman to ever hold the position of president at IU. Her term as IU president started on July 1, 2021.[8] The appointment was praised by some alumni,[14] but the search process that led to Whitten's appointment was controversial amongst some faculty.[15][16][17]
On April 16, 2024, the Indiana University Bloomington faculty overwhelmingly passed votes of no confidence for IU president Pamela Whitten with 93.1% (827 to 29) of the vote against Whitten.[18][19] In response, the Indiana University Board of Trustees reaffirmed their support for Whitten and her administration,[20] although it was later revealed that the support was not unanimous.[21]
On April 25, 2024, Whitten formed an ad hoc committee to change the terms of use of the Indiana University Assembly Ground on the eve of pro-Palestinian protests.[22] This policy change facilitated the arrest of students, faculty, and community members who were occupying Dunn Meadow.[23][24] Legal scholars interviewed by The Herald-Times questioned whether the policy changes may have violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[25][26]
On January 22, 2025, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Whitten's doctoral dissertation had more than three dozen instances of copied language without a source, or plagiarism. However, Indiana University cleared her for this academic misconduct.[27]
References
- ^ "Transcending the technology of telemedicine: A case study of telemedicine in North Carolina". Proquest.
- ^ Bolten, Kathy A. (October 9, 2017). "University of Georgia provost is finalist for Iowa State president's job". Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ Dayhuff, Libby (November 4, 2016). "UT introduces Pamela Whitten as chancellor candidate". University of Tennessee Daily Beacon.
- ^ Boehnke, Megan (November 2, 2016). "First chancellor candidate visits UT campus". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ a b "Pamela Whitten named next president of Kennesaw State University". Atlanta Voice. June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c Whitten, Pamela S. "Curriculem Vitae" (PDF). Iowa State University Presidential Search.
- ^ Whitten, Pamela Sasse (1996). Transcending the technology of telemedicine: A case study of telemedicine in North Carolina (Ph.D. thesis). University of Kansas. OCLC 35393757. ProQuest 304301787.
- ^ a b c Zaltsberg, Bob (April 16, 2021). "Indiana University's Next President Is Pamela Whitten". WFIU. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "$name". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Jackson, Tom (December 2, 2013). "Michigan State dean named senior VP and provost at UGA". UGA Today. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Ernsberger, Emily (April 16, 2021). "Indiana University names Pamela Whitten as its next president". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Pamela Whitten Named President of Kennesaw State University". Kennesaw State University. June 12, 2018.
- ^ "Pamela Whitten Appointed to NCAA Division I Committee on Academics". Kennesaw State University. October 14, 2019.
- ^ Schoetle, Anthony; Muñiz, Leslie Bonilla (April 16, 2021). "Alumni give IU positive marks for presidential pick, applaud emphasis on diversity". Indianapolis Business Journal.
- ^ Sanders, Steve (October 6, 2021). "'You have no idea how strange this process has been': The long, difficult search for IU's 19th president". Medium.
- ^ Whitford, Emma (October 18, 2021). "Professor Questions Indiana University Presidential Search". Inside Higher Ed.
- ^ McGerr, Patrick (October 11, 2021). "Indiana University trustees meet, but recent controversies are left undiscussed". Herald-Times.
- ^ Meador, Marissa (April 16, 2024). "BREAKING: Whitten rebuked: IU faculty vote no confidence in Whitten, Shrivastav, Docherty". Indiana Daily Student.
- ^ Wright, Aubrey (April 16, 2024). "Faculty vote no confidence in Whitten, Provost, Vice Provost ". WFIU.
- ^ Hogan, Jeremy (April 16, 2024). "IU Board of Trustees Backs President Whitten Amid Faculty No-Confidence Vote". The Bloomingtonian.
- ^ Sandweiss, Ethan. "IU Trustees aren't unanimous on letter supporting Pres. Whitten". News - Indiana Public Media. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ Meador, Marissa (April 26, 2024). "'Utterly unprincipled': Policy created on eve of protest used to make arrests". Indiana Daily Student.
- ^ Betts, Anna; Eadie, Matthew; Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas (April 27, 2024). "Crackdowns at 4 College Protests Lead to More Than 200 Arrests". The New York Times.
- ^ Hogan, Jeremy (April 26, 2024). "Gallery: Dozens Arrested During Pro-Palestinian Protest At Indiana University Thursday". The Bloomingtonian.
- ^ Rosenzweig, Brian (April 27, 2024). "Indiana University changed its policy a day before a protest. Then 33 people were arrested". The Herald-Times.
- ^ Ladwig, Boris (April 28, 2024). "'Serious First Amendment problem': A day before protests, IU changed a free assembly policy". The Herald-Times.
- ^ "This President's Dissertation Contains Copied Language. Her University Says She Was Cleared". The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 22, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.