Elisabeth Zinser

In recognition of her leadership within the association and her significant contributions to university administration, Elisabeth Zinser was named a Distinguished Fellow of AAC&U in 2016. Dr. Zinser has served as a member of the AAC&U board of directors, including two terms as chair of the board; served as founding chair of the Board Membership Committee; contributed to Liberal Education; and presented at AAC&U meetings. She contributed significantly to the planning of AAC&U’s Centennial in 2015 and served as a volunteer fundraiser for the Centennial Fund.

Dr. Zinser is a public member of the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors and an active member of the International Women’s Forum. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, master’s degrees from the University of California–San Francisco and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a PhD from the University of California–Berkeley. She has served as president of Southern Oregon University, the University of Idaho, and Gallaudet University; chancellor of the University of Kentucky–Lexington; academic vice chancellor of the University of North Carolina–Greensboro; and dean at the University of North Dakota. She has served on the boards of the American Council on Education and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, as well as the boards of the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Crater Lake National Trust.