ITHACA, N.Y. — Rebecca Stoltzfus, Cornell University’s vice provost for undergraduate education and professor of nutritional studies, has been announced as the “candidate of choice” to become the 18th president of Goshen College, her undergraduate alma mater. That’s according to a news release Cornell issued Wednesday.
Founded in 1894, Goshen is a small, private liberal-arts college in northern Indiana affiliated with the Mennonite Church. It has a total enrollment of about 800 students.
Goshen College is expected to formally introduce Stoltzfus to its campus community in mid-June, per the release. After that, the search committee will present a final recommendation to the Goshen College board and Mennonite Education Agency board. Stoltzfus is expected to take office in early November, Cornell said.
In her job at Cornell, Stoltzfus oversees initiatives designed to improve undergraduate instruction in and out of the classroom, including promoting learning experiences in student residences. Since 2011, she has been part of the leadership team of Engaged Cornell, the public engagement initiative that seeks to “integrate community-engaged learning as a hallmark of the Cornell experience,” the release stated.
“Goshen College could not have found a more outstanding leader, and the fact that she is an alumna makes this appointment even more special. As a member of our faculty and as vice provost, Becky has had an enormous impact on our research and on student and engagement programs. She has left an indelible imprint on this institution, and her vision and experiences will serve Goshen well,” Michael Kotlikoff, Cornell’s provost, said in the release.
“There is only one institution that could have attracted me away from Cornell at this time, and that is my alma mater, Goshen College,” said Stoltzfus. “I am compelled by Goshen’s innovative strengths in global education, experiential learning and excellent liberal arts education, and Goshen holds many family connections for me. While I am thrilled to be able to serve Goshen as its 18th president, I am sad to leave Cornell and the Ithaca community.”
Stoltzfus has been a member of the Cornell faculty since 2002. She collaborated to create Cornell’s Global Health Program, which offers community-engaged learning opportunities for undergraduate students working on global health issues with partners in Tanzania, Zambia, the Dominican Republic, and at two sites in India, the university said.
Stoltzfus’ research focuses on the causes and consequences of malnutrition in women and children in low-income countries.
Before joining Cornell’s faculty, Stoltzfus was assistant and associate professor of human nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1992 to 2002.
She graduated from Goshen College in 1983 with a major in chemistry, and received master’s (1988) and doctoral (1992) degrees in human nutrition from Cornell.
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