Awards
- IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2012
About Dr. Karen Whitney
Dr. Karen Whitney is the President of the Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She has served as President of Clarion in 2010. Dr. Whitney has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin as well as a M.A. in Public Administration and B.A. in Psychology from the University of Houston. Prior to joining Clarion, Dr. Whitney served as Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). In that capacity, she was responsible for 12 departments and provided leadership for institutional strategic planning, policy development, and budget oversight to ensure the effective delivery of programs and services in close collaboration with academic affairs and finance and administration. During her tenure, two major buildings were conceived and built; the Campus Apartments at the Riverwalk (now named “Riverwalk Apartments”) in 2003, the largest residential community on campus, and the Campus Center in 2008, which continues to win numerous awards for its modern architectural style. Whitney also changed the name of the Division from “Student Affairs” to “Student Life and Diversity,” and assumed the dual-role of Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students. She also served as Associate Vice President for Student Life at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she held positions as Assistant Vice President of Student Life and Director of Residence Life. In addition, she held a number of positions in residence life at the University of Houston.
Whitney is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the Coalition of Metropolitan Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). She is engaged in serving several civic organizations, some include, the BOS-Community Development Corporation, Indiana Avenue Cultural District, the Spirit & Place Festival, and the Indianapolis Retirement Home Fund.