Bethami Dobkin

Bethami A. Dobkin is an American academic administrator and communication scholar who served as the 19th president of Westminster University from July 2018 until her announced retirement in 2026. Her tenure was marked by the institution's transition from a college to a university, significant fundraising, and a public stance against political influence in higher education. Before her presidency, Dobkin served for a decade as provost at Saint Mary's College of California and held faculty and administrative roles at the University of San Diego, beginning in 1990.

Education Dobkin received a B.A. in speech communication from California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in 1985. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a M.A. in rhetoric in 1987 and a Ph.D. in rhetoric and social order in 1990. In 1990, she joined the University of San Diego as an assistant professor of communication studies.

Dobkin was appointed the 19th president of Westminster College in 2018, becoming the second woman to hold the post. These funds supported capital projects, including the completion of Florence J. Gillmor Hall and the construction of the L.S. Skaggs Integrated Wellness Center. On September 4, 2025, Dobkin announced she would retire at the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year.