Nancy L. Zimpher

Nancy L. Zimpher – a widely recognized leader in higher education, civic engagement, economic development and urban education reform – serves as the president of the University of Cincinnati, one of the nation’s top public research universities. She became UC’s 25th president and its first woman president in October 2003. Under her leadership, UC embarked on an unprecedented consultation process that involved a wide spectrum of the university’s stakeholders and resulted in the strategic vision, UC|21: Defining the New Urban Research University. On June 1, she will become the chancellor of the State University of New York system.

Under President Zimpher’s direction, the University of Cincinnati has made significant strides in its UC|21 vision to become a leading urban research institution for the 21st century. The university has experienced enrollment growth to over 37,000 students, increased retention and graduation rates, improved student satisfaction and enhanced national rankings – including the Princeton Review’s 2009 best colleges list. These achievements have been accomplished through a number of strategic actions that President Zimpher implemented, among them restructuring the university’s decision-making process and introducing comprehensive state-of-the-art business practices; raising admissions standards while growing enrollment and maintaining the university’s deep commitment to access and a diverse student body; introducing a series of academic reforms related to Strategic Enrollment Management, program offerings and performance-based budgeting; redesigning mechanisms for research support and opportunities for commercialization on intellectual property; as well as transforming decanal leadership through the completion of several national searches.