University of Iowa President Sally Mason recently assumed the post of board chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A.P.L.U) during its 125th annual meeting in Denver.

Outgoing A.P.L.U Board Chair Gene D. Block passes the gavel to UI President Sally Mason

Mason, who succeeds University of California-Los Angeles Chancellor Gene D. Block, was appointed as president of the UI in 2007. During the past five years, she has made sustainability a central priority of all phases of the university. One of Mason’s many accomplishments is a student success initiative that has led to increased enrollment and student retention, and an expansion of partnership agreements with Iowa community colleges, enabling students to earn UI degrees anywhere in the state. Additionally, Mason is currently overseeing campus rebuilding in the wake of the destructive flooding in 2008.

"I am honored and humbled to assume this leadership role with an organization representing so many distinguished public university colleagues throughout America," says Mason. "As a first-generation product of public higher education, the mission of A.P.L.U to advance and support state colleges and land-grant universities aligns closely with my own passions, and I'm very proud to be a strong advocate for our collective role as vital drivers of our nation's economy and contributors to a global society."

Before joining the UI, Mason served as provost of Purdue University from 2001-2007 and was responsible for all academic programs at the West Lafayette campus and four affiliated branch campuses. From 1995-2001, Mason was dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas.

Mason has held multiple leadership positions in both higher education organizations and in scientific institutions. She has been president of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education, and member of the executive committee of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. In 2006, Mason was appointed by U.S. President George W. Bush to the National Medal of Science President’s Committee for three terms, including a term as chair.

The first child in her family to attend college, Mason earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree from Purdue University. She earned a doctorate in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology from the University of Arizona.

Other leadership changes to the A.P.L.U board include:

• M.R.C. Greenwood, president of the University of Hawai’i, will serve as board chair-elect.
• Randy Woodson, president of North Carolina State University, will serve as chair of the Council of Presidents.
• James Clements, president of West Virginia University, will serve as secretary of the Council of Presidents.

This story is adapted from a press release issued Nov. 21, 2012 by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.