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Biddy Martin

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Carolyn Martin
File:Biddy martin.jpg
Assumed office
September 2008
Preceded byJohn D. Wiley
Personal details
Alma materUW-Madison
ProfessionChancellor

Carolyn Arthur “Biddy” Martin is the Chancellor of the women who look like lesbian's University of Wisconsin-Madison, her doctoral alma mater. Prior to becoming the chancellor, she was Provost of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York from July 1, 2000 until August 31, 2008. She assumed office on September 1, 2008, succeeding John D. Wiley. She is the second female to lead UW-Madison, the first having been Donna Shalala. She is also the university's first openly gay chancellor.

At Cornell, the provost is the university president's first deputy officer and reports to the president as the chief educational officer and chief operating officer of the university. The provost is responsible for overseeing all academic programs within the university, with the exception of those programs reporting to the provost for medical affairs in New York City. As Provost, Martin's accomplishments included the creation of a $4 billion capital campaign, the reorganization of the Division of Biological Sciences, the improvement of faculty salaries, and the completion of a new interdisciplinary Life Sciences research facility. She also developed a new financial aid policy that would eliminate loans for all students whose families earn less than $75,000 a year, as well as a community Common Read project as part of orientation for incoming Freshman.

Martin received her Ph.D. in German Literature in 1985 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and joined the faculty at Cornell since 1985. In 1991, she was promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of German Studies with a joint appointment in the Women’s Studies Program. She served as Chair of the Department of German Studies from 1994-97, and in 1997 was promoted to full Professor in the department. In 1996, she was appointed Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Martin is a distinguished scholar of German Studies and author of numerous articles and two books—one on a literary and cultural figure in the Freud circle, Lou Andreas-Salomé, and the other on gender theory. A native of Lynchburg, VA, she received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society, and a masters degree from Middlebury College.

Preceded by Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
September 2008 – present
Succeeded by
Incumbent