She will be the first woman to lead the university as its chancellor since 1787.
She will be the first woman to lead the university as its chancellor since 1787.
The University of Pittsburgh has announced on April 3 that Joan Gabel, the current president and chief executive of the University of Minnesota, will become its 19th chancellor.
Starting July 1, she will be the first woman to serve as the university’s chancellor since 1787, succeeding Patrick Gallagher who announced his retirement earlier.
“I am excited and filled with optimism when I think of leading this institution into its important next chapter — to taking leaps when needed, and incremental steps as necessary, to ensure that every step we take, however large or small, moves us forward,” Gabel said in a statement.
“I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead this world-class community of learners, leaders and discoverers from Pittsburgh and Bradford to Greensburg, Johnstown, Titusville, and beyond,” she added.
Gabel started her teaching career at Georgia State University in 1996 and later moved to Florida State University, where she was the DeSantis Professor of Legal Studies, chair of the Departments of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate, and Legal Studies, and director of international relations.
From 2010 to 2015, she served as dean of the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at Missouri. She also became the University of South Carolina’s executive vice president and provost from 2015 to 2019.
Since 2019, Gabel has led the University of Minnesota to record-breaking graduation rates, research expenditures, start-ups, and patents, as well as a 10-year, $4 billion capital campaign that exceeded its target by 10%.
