Dr. Elizabeth J. Whitt University of Iowa

Elizabeth J. Whitt is Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of California-Merced. Formerly, she was a professor in Higher Education and Student Affairs in the College of Education at The University of Iowa, and Co-Director of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education (CRUE) at Iowa.

Elizabeth’s scholarship focuses on college student success; issues and trends in student affairs practice and effectiveness; and the use of qualitative research methods to study college students and their learning environments. She is editor of the New Directions for Student Services sourcebook series and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development.  In 2007, she received the Outstanding Contribution to Knowledge Award from ACPA: College Student Educators International (ACPA) and was named an ACPA Senior Scholar Diplomate.

Elizabeth’s professional activities have included service on the governing boards of ACPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Division J [Postsecondary Education] of the American Educational Research Association, and the Association for the Study of Higher Education.