Bari Watkins Becomes First Female Dean at
Ohio University's Lancaster Campus
Contact: Jennifer LaRue, public information administrator, Lancaster campus, (740)
654-6711, ext. 281
Editors: A photo of Watkins can be downloaded at:
www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/WATKINS_BARI.JPG
ATHENS, Ohio (July 10, 2000) -- Bari Watkins began her new job as dean of Ohio University's Lancaster campus on
July 1 and became the second female to serve as dean at any of the university's five regional campuses.
Ann Jones, the regional campus system's first female dean, presided over the Ohio University-Chillicothe
campus from September 1981 to June 1986.
The Ohio University-Lancaster campus officially opened in 1968, but Ohio University has offered college
courses in Lancaster since 1956. The campus has an enrollment of about 1,800 and offers nine bachelor's
degree programs and 13 associate's degree programs.
Watkins previously served as vice president and academic dean at Bradford College in Haverhill, Mass.,
and replaced interim dean John Furlow, who had been in that role since March 1999.
"I'm very pleased to return to the Midwest," Watkins said. "The campus presents wonderful educational
opportunities for all types of learners. I worked 25 years for private liberal arts schools, so I look forward
to exploring public education because it is available to more students."
Watkins spent five years as vice president and dean of the college at Morningside College in Iowa and
another five years as vice president for academic affairs at Queens College in North Carolina. She also was
dean of the college at Rollins College in Florida for five years and director of the Program on Women at
Northwestern University in Illinois for three years. She began her career in higher education in 1975 as an
assistant professor of history at Northwestern.
"Bari brings a great deal of experience to the job," said Charles Bird, Ohio University vice president for
regional higher education. "She provides a different perspective across regional education and will be an
energetic leader for the Lancaster campus and community."
A graduate of South Houston Senior High School in Pasadena, Texas, Watkins earned her bachelor's
degree in history in 1969 from Rice University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her
master's and doctoral degrees in history from Yale University in 1974 and 1976, respectively. She also
attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University in 1996.
"A couple of my goals are to expand the number of master's programs offered and to improve the quality
of the associate's degree programs," Watkins said.
Watkins and her husband, Bill Steinman, live in Lancaster.
