Capaldi Named Provost at Arizona State University

Former APS President Elizabeth Capaldi is the new Provost and Executive Vice President at Arizona State University. Capaldi was drawn to the university because “ASU is growing, as is Arizona, and it is exciting to be in a place that is building, and to participate in that building. We are a boom town and we have a chance to create something special because of the growth.” She’s the first woman to hold the post.

A New York City native, Capaldi received her PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969.   She served as Provost and psychology professor at both the University of Florida and the University at Buffalo, SUNY.  In 2003 Capaldi served as Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of The State University of New York where she worked as the main liaison between the system administration and SUNY’s 64 campuses.

Capaldi and her colleagues are working to transform ASU into what they call a “New American University.”  The goal is to “simultaneously have access for many students combined with academic excellence while also insuring research has impact and connects to the community,” Capaldi says. According to the program, ASU will “redefine the existing conception of research universities” by measuring its academic success through the education that the graduates have received rather than the qualifications of the incoming freshman class.  As Provost, Capaldi is focused “on helping our students find majors that fit them, that allow them to succeed” which she says “is great fun.”