Carol Cartwright

Carol A. Cartwright is an American academic administrator who served as president of Kent State University and, later, of Bowling Green State University.thumb

Early life and career Carol Cartwright was born in 1941. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. She was a member of the faculty of Pennsylvania State University from 1967 through 1988, and later served as dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost at Penn State. She also served as vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of California at Davis.

Kent State Cartwright served as the 10th president of Kent State University from March 1991 until July 2006, making her the first woman to serve as president of any Ohio public college or university.

During her tenure at Kent State, she oversaw the establishment of new colleges and academic programs, the introduction of new technologies, and increases in enrollment; she also oversaw an extensive the extensive construction of new campus buildings, including the Centennial Court dormitories and a new honors college complex, and the renovation of several others.

Upon retirement from Kent State, the auditorium building on the university's Kent campus was renamed Cartwright Hall in her honor.

Other roles Cartwright served on the Knight Commission beginning in 2000, Cartwright has served on the boards of directors of KeyCorp (retiring in 2012), Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. (1992–98) the Davey Tree Expert Company (2002–08), PolyOne Corporation, and FirstEnergy Corporation. She has resided in Napa, California, since 2019.