Pell Appointed Vice President For Research, Dean Of The Graduate School
January 21, 2000
University Park, Pa. — Today, Jan. 21, Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Eva J. Pell as vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, effective immediately. Pell has been serving as interim vice president for research and dean of the graduate school since July, 1999, when Dr. Rodney Erickson left the position to become Executive Vice President and Provost.

"The search committee conducted a national search and interviewed a number of excellent candidates, and its unanimous recommendation to me was that Dr. Pell was the outstanding choice for this position," said Spanier. "Eva Pell is one of Penn State’s most distinguished academicians. Her research is internationally recognized, and she has been extraordinarily successful at generating external funding from a wide variety of sources for her research. She also has played an active role in graduate education within the University. She brings a wonderful combination of experiences to this position that will be of great benefit to our graduate students and to our efforts to promote and sustain high quality research."

Pell has served on a number of key committees over the years, working with three administrations on the President’s Budget Advisory Committee, the University Future Committee, and the University Planning Council. She has also chaired several search committees for top University positions. She recently chaired the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Physiology and co-chaired the Ecological and Molecular Plant Physiology Option within the Life Sciences Consortium.

"Penn State has given me a wonderfully rewarding career, allowing me to blend research and graduate training. I see this position as the opportunity to give something back, by fostering the research careers of others and by enhancing graduate education. I am deeply committed to high quality education and research, and I look forward to working with the faculty and administration to expand and enrich the integrated research and graduate training missions at Penn State."

Pell earned a B.S. in biology from City College of the City University of New York and a Ph.D. in plant biology from Rutgers University. She began her career as a high school chemistry teacher and research associate. She was appointed assistant professor of plant pathology at Penn State in 1973. She was promoted to associate professor in 1978 and professor in 1983. In 1991 she was named distinguished professor of plant pathology and in 1995 was named the Nancy and John Steimer Professor of Agricultural Sciences. Pell has been the recipient of 34 grants totaling more than $7 million. She has been the author or co-author of 98 publications and 64 abstracts.

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Contact:Stephen J. MacCarthy (814) 863-1028 fax: (814) 865-1762 e-mail: