Elizabeth R. Cantwell
Elizabeth Cantwell | |
|---|---|
| 12th President of Washington State University | |
| Assumed office April 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Kirk Schulz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 26, 1955 |
| Education | University of Chicago (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MA, PhD) University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mechanical engineering |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Buoyancy and heat loss effects in near interface smoldering combustion (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | Carlos Fernández-Pello |
Elizabeth R. Cantwell is the president of Washington State University. From August 1, 2023 to April 1, 2025, she was president of Utah State University.[1]
Education
Cantwell has a B.A. in human behavior from the University of Chicago (1976). In 1992, she received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2003, she earned a M.B.A. in finance & entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.[2]
Career
Cantwell worked for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she was director for economic development[3] and focused on developing research programs for the U.S. Department of Defense.[2] From 2015 to 2019, she was at Arizona State University.[4] Prior to her appointment at Utah State University, Cantwell was an American professor of aerospace-mechanical engineering and the senior vice president for research and Innovation at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.[5][2] At the University of Arizona, she oversaw twelve major university research centers and facilities, including Biosphere 2, Bio5 Institute, Arizona State Museum, and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.[2] Cantwell was named president of Utah State University on May 19, 2023.[6] She became president of Washington State University on April 1, 2025.[7]
In April of 2025, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that during her 18-month tenure at Utah State University, Cantwell spent $661,800 of university funds on new cars, an apartment in Salt Lake City (84 miles away from campus), national travel, and "lavish office furnishings". This included a $750 bidet for her office, a $28,000 golf cart to drive around campus, and furniture for her office totaling $184,400. Her "executive chair" cost $3000 alone. This spending was more than her salary of $581,585, though not if one includes the $233,000 she was receiving in benefits. This spending came at a time when the state was asking the university to cut $12.6 million in spending and the university asked employees to voluntarily retire or resign. Lay-offs were planned next.[8]
Awards and honors
She was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2019.[9][10] In 2020, she was presented with the Transformational Leadership Award at the Arizona Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards.[11]
References
- ^ "Elizabeth R. Cantwell Named 17th USU President". usu.edu. Utah State University. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Betsy Cantwell, SVP for Research & Innovation Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). UArizona Office of Research, Innovation & Impact. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Vanguard hosts economic development director". Davis Enterprise. 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
- ^ "Elizabeth R. "Betsy" Cantwell". ASU Enterprise Partners. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Development Starts at Tech Park at The Bridges". University of Arizona News. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
- ^ Dugovic, Trisha (19 May 2023). "Elizabeth R. Cantwell Named 17th USU President". Utah State University. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "WSU ushers in a new era with Elizabeth R. Cantwell as its next president". WSU Insider. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "Utah State President Cantwell spent $660K on new cars, SLC apartment, office bidet and more, records show". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ "Cantwell Elected AAAS Fellow". The University of Arizona. November 13, 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Star, Arizona Daily (27 November 2019). "UA senior VP selected as science advancement fellow". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Cantwell wins Transformational Leadership Award | UA@Work". uaatwork.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-11.