Robert J. Sternberg, psychologist and scholar currently holding a vice president position at Oklahoma State University, was named the 24th president of the University of Wyoming last Tuesday.
The UW Board of Trustees passed a unanimous vote last Tuesday afternoon, offering Sternberg the position. He accepted and will succeed President Tom Buchanan July 1.
As of now, Sternberg’s contract terms are still in the finalization stage. However, it has been released that the contract will be for three years with an annual starting salary of $425,000.
Sternberg’s main priorities for UW include hiring and developing faculty, state wide education outreach and economic development efforts, business and industry collaborations, enhancement of student life and a focus on student retention and graduation.
“As president, I see my job as, first and foremost, forming, developing and strengthening relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, diverse donors, legislators, business leaders and other key stakeholders in the state that will lead to even greater success,” Sternberg said. “My style of leadership is to help in posing problems, and then to let stakeholders collaborate in solving the problems.”
Sternberg also plans to promote the arts and humanities, develop ethical leadership, maintain financial stability and engage in a broad participation in university governance.
In the past, Sternberg has worked at a number of universities including as the director of graduate studies in psychology and professor of psychology at Yale, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, and his current position as provost and senior vice president at Oklahoma State University.
He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1975 after graduating summa cum laude at Yale University in 1972.
Not only has Sternberg received honorary degrees from 13 universities around the world, he also has been listed as one of the “Top 100 Psychologists of the 20th Century” by The APA Monitor and one of the 100 “Top Young Scientists in the U.S.” by The Science Digest in 1984.
One of Sternberg’s greatest efforts is to improve teaching and student success. At Oklahoma State and Tufts, Sternberg created different projects to boost student retention rates. Sternberg loves to teach. Even as provost and dean, he has taught one course per semester in order to remain connected with the students.
“I believe that if students are not learning, teachers are not really teaching,” he says.
Sternberg has two-year-old triplets and, along with his wife, the family is looking forward to making the move. According to Sternberg, they love the outdoors and are looking forward to hiking and skiing in Wyoming’s mountains and open spaces.
“Of all the places in the country, Wyoming is the one where my wife and I most wanted to go.”
Arrangements are being made for Sternberg to visit the UW campus in the near future.
