Elisabeth Zinser

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Elisabeth Zinser
7th President of Gallaudet University
In office
March 6, 1988 – March 10, 1988
Preceded byJerry C. Lee
Succeeded byI. King Jordan
President of the University of Idaho
In office
1989–1995
Chancellor of the University of Kentucky
In office
1995–2001
President of Southern Oregon University
In office
2001–2006
Personal details
Born (1940-02-20) February 20, 1940 (age 84)
Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
SpouseW. Don Mackin (1991-2011) (d. 2011)
AwardsAAC&U Distinguished Fellow (2016)[1]

Elisabeth Ann Zinser (born February 20, 1940) is a retired university president, most recently at Southern Oregon University (2001–06) in Ashland, Oregon. Previously she was the chancellor of the Lexington campus of the University of Kentucky (1995–2001), and the first female president of the University of Idaho, serving from 1989–95 in Moscow, Idaho.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford, a master's from UCSF, and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. She also received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.[2]

Prior to assuming the presidency at the University of Idaho, Zinser received national attention[3] in 1988 when she was named the seventh president of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. She served for less than a week, March 6–10, and then resigned due to protests over her selection in what came to be known as the "Deaf President Now" protest at Gallaudet, saying that the protest was "a monumental event in the history of deaf culture."[4] The protesters thanked her for making a graceful exit, noting that she had become an "innocent victim and an unfortunate target" of their collective anger.[5][6]

Personal[edit]

A native of Meadville, Pennsylvania,[7] Zinser is a former board member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

While at Idaho in 1991, she married W. Don Mackin of Moscow; the wedding was the first in the university's new arboretum.[8][9][10] Mackin (1937–2011) was a graduate of Washington State University in nearby Pullman and a former state senator from Moscow, Idaho. They were married for two decades, until he unexpectedly died in his sleep at age 73 in Ashland.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Elisabeth Zinser". AAC&U. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  2. ^ Oregon Shakespeare Festival - board bio - Elisabeth Zinser.
  3. ^ Nightline transcript Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, host: Ted Koppel, guests: Greg Hlibok, Marlee Matlin, and Elisabeth Ann Zinser.
  4. ^ Zinser, Elisabeth Ann (March 13, 1988). "What I tried to do at Gallaudet". The Washington Post. p. C8. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  5. ^ Hlibok, Gregory J. (March 12, 1988). "Letter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-18.
  6. ^ Hlibok, Gregory J. (January 4, 2016). "Deafinitely : A Non-oral History of Gallaudet's Deaf President Now Movement" (PDF). Dreyfuss Library (Interview). Interviewed by Sibarium, Ely. St. Andrew's Episcopal School. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  7. ^ Galludet.edu - Elisabeth Zinser. Archived June 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Wickline, Michael R. (July 3, 1991). "Wedding's a first for New Arboretum". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1A.
  9. ^ White, Vera (July 15, 1991). "Our 'royal' wedding". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1A.
  10. ^ Johnson, David (July 15, 1991). "To love and cherish". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1A.
  11. ^ "In memoriam: W. Don Mackin". Washington State. (alumni magazine). April 27, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
Academic offices
Preceded by President of Gallaudet University
March 6–11, 1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of University of Idaho
1989–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Southern Oregon University
2001–2006 		Succeeded by
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