In
mid-December, Eva J. Pell was named vice president for research and dean of
The Graduate School after a national search, replacing Rodney Erickson who left
the post in July 1999 to become executive vice president and provost of the
University. Since July, Pell has been serving as interim vice president for
research and dean.
President Graham B. Spanier will submit Pell's name to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting on Jan. 21.
"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," Spanier said. "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."
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 also has 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.
Pell said the University has provided her with a rewarding career that has allowed her to blend both research and graduate training. Her views on her new role and the direction of graduate education and research will be covered in an article in a future issue of Intercom.
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.