Pamela S. Whitten Named IU’s 1st Female President

Pamela S. Whitten was named IU’s 19th president at a special Board of Trustees meeting Friday morning.

Whitten is replacing current IU President Michael McRobbie, who previously announced plans to retire. 

She will begin serving on July 1, 2021.

Whitten will be the first female to serve as IU’s president. That comes after a presidential search prioritizing female and minority candidates.

Whitten had been the president of Kennesaw State University since 2018. She previously served as the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Georgia. She has also worked in the University of Kansas and Michigan State University medical departments.

Whitten has a Ph.D. in communication studies from Kansas, a Master of Arts in communication from the University of Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Science in management from Tulane.

“To our students, please know you will always be the center of the universe,” Whitten said at the Board of Trustees meeting. “Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime.”