Klawe Named President of Harvey Mudd
Renowned computer scientist Maria Klawe will make the move from her post as
dean of Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences (NJ), to Harvey Mudd College [www.hmc.edu]
in the Los Angeles suburb of Claremont, CA, where she will become the college's
fifth president on July 1. She succeeds Jon Strauss, who served as president
for nine years.
"I can't wait to get started," Klawe said. "The world needs
Mudd to continue its wonderful track record of innovation in undergraduate engineering,
science, and mathematics education, and to lead the way in developing the next
generation of educational advances. The college has the right group of talented
and dedicated people: faculty, students, alumni, staff, and trustees to do this.
Mudd also has the level of spirit, creativity, drive, and energy that will be
needed."
This academic year, Mudd celebrates its 50th anniversary. It has been known
since its founding for a focus on liberal undergraduate education as well as
for the opportunities for research it presents to undergraduate students. Michael
Shanahan, chair of the Harvey Mudd College board of trustees remarked, "[Klawe's]
keen understanding and appreciation for the value of undergraduate education
and research makes her the perfect choice for us." And Shanahan was likely
thinking of Mudd's trademark Clinic Program-which involves upper-level student
teams in year-long, real-world industry projects-when he said, "Her experience
in industry will be a major asset as we continue to develop corporate relationships."
Klawe worked in industry for eight years, including positions at the IBM Almaden
Research Center.
Klawe is currently chair of the board of the Anita Borg Institute for Women
and Technology. Her advocacy of women and minorities in engineering, mathematics,
and science should be an asset to Mudd, where recent gains in the percentage
of women students reflect a commitment to change-the percent of women students
rose from 20 percent in 1990 to 33 percent in 2005. Mudd ranks second in the
US for the percentage of women on the engineering faculty.
Klawe, who earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Alberta
(Canada), has held academic positions at Oakland University (MI), the
University of Toronto (Canada), the University of British Columbia
(Canada), and currently, Princeton University.
Mudd is one of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions that
make up the Claremont Colleges Consortium (CA). Nancy Bekavac, president
of Scripps College (CA)-just across the street from Mudd-expressed her
impressions of Mudd's future president, observing, "[Klawe] is bright,
enormously committed to teaching, politically astute, self-confident, unstuffy
and informal, pragmatic, and utterly down-to-earth. She will be a wonderful
addition to the Council of Presidents of the Claremont Colleges."
(Photo by CT staff)