Elizabeth D. "Betty" Capaldi

Infobox
name = Provost
title = Elizabeth D. “Betty” Capaldi


caption = Elizabeth D. “Betty” Capaldi, [http://provost.asu.edu/ Executive Vice President and Provost of Arizona State University]

Elizabeth D. “Betty” Capaldi is the provost and executive vice president of Arizona State University. She is also a professor of psychology and an expert in student retention and measuring research university performance.

Career

1. Arizona State University

Capaldi became the university provost and executive vice president at Arizona State University in July 2006. She is ASU’s chief academic officer, overseeing 23 colleges and fostering excellence in teaching, research and service to the community. She directs the university’s efforts in strategic redesign of its academic mission to achieve the vision of The New American University, represents the university to external agencies and constituencies, and engages in ASU's fundraising initiatives.

Since arriving at ASU, Capaldi has led a university-wide effort to increase student retention that resulted in a gain of more than three percent in only 2 years. Under her direction, ASU instituted a new model for academic advising that transferred procedural functions such as course planning to an online tool called [http://www.asu.edu/programs/majormaps/tutorial/ eAdvisor] and freed academic advisors to become more involved with their students. eAdvisor is based on a system that Capaldi developed at the University of Florida that resulted in a seven-percent gain in UF’s graduation rate.

Capaldi is also leading an ASU partnership with the [http://www.cae.org/ Council for Aid to Education] to conduct research on student learning in key areas such as critical thinking and reasoning. The results will be used to improve undergraduate teaching.

2. The State University of New York

From December 2003 to July 2006, Capaldi was the vice chancellor and chief of staff of The State University of New York, where her responsibilities included strategic planning, coordinating the activities of the vice chancellors to build quality across the SUNY system, and serving as the main liaison between system administration and the campuses. She was officer in charge in the chancellor’s absence.

3. University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Capaldi served as provost and professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. As provost she stabilized the university’s budget, which allowed increased faculty hiring and scholarship support that improved the quality and diversity of the student body. She oversaw a substantial increase in sponsored research at UB, and supported technology transfer and economic development for Buffalo. During her tenure, UB created the [http://www.research.buffalo.edu/stor/ Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach] .

4. University of Florida

At the University of Florida, Capaldi served as provost and professor of psychology. She played a key role in improving sponsored research and technology transfer, and was instrumental in a new student advising system produced seven percent gain in UF’s graduation rate.

5. Purdue University

Capaldi was a professor of psychology at Purdue University and served as head of Purdue’s [http://www.psych.purdue.edu/ Department of Psychological Sciences] and assistant dean of [http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/indexFlash.cfm Purdue's Graduate School] .

Research

1. Capaldi’s research focuses on learning and motivation with particular emphasis on the psychology of eating. She has contributed over 65 chapters and articles to the scientific literature, co-authored three editions of an introductory psychology textbook, and edited two books on the psychology of eating.

2. Capaldi co-directs The Center for Measuring University Performance with Dr. John Lombardi, president of the Louisiana State University system. The Center publishes analysis and publicly reported data that provide an unbiased alternative to traditional research university rankings.

ervice & Awards

Capaldi is past president of the Association for Psychological Science (2000-2001) and of the [http://www.midwesternpsych.org/ Midwestern Psychological Association] (1991). She was elected to fellow status in the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her other honors and awards include election to the Friends of Students Hall of Fame at the University of Florida in 2000, and the Citizen of the Year award from the New York State Society of Professional Engineers in 2003.

Education

Capaldi received her bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester in 1965 and her Ph.D. degree in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969.