Steven Kaplan named Chancellor of UVa-Wise
May 21, 2001

UVa-Wise Chancellor Steven Kaplan
Photo by Tim Cox

Steven Kaplan, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., has been named chancellor of the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

U.Va. President John T. Casteen III made the announcement today in Wise, where he introduced Kaplan and his wife, Anemone Schweizer-Kaplan, to the UVa-Wise faculty and staff.

"Steven Kaplan's commitment to liberal arts education and his vision for solidifying the College's growth in stature as one of the nation's premier public liberal arts institutions give him a powerful base on which to build as chancellor," Casteen said. "His background includes both significant scholarship and progressively more responsible leadership positions in higher education administration. In an uncommonly talented group of applicants, he stood out as the ideal candidate to lead Wise in new directions, including international initiatives, collaborative education and service learning. We are fortunate to have attracted someone of his energy and talent, and we are pleased to welcome Mr. Kaplan and his family to the University of Virginia community."

Kaplan succeeds L. Jay Lemons, who left UVa-Wise in January to become president of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Penn. Lemons had been chancellor of University's only branch college since 1992.

"I feel honored and a deep sense of gratitude to have been selected as the next chancellor of The University of Virginia's College at Wise," Kaplan said. "I welcome the responsibility and challenges that accompany this important position. I believe firmly in the transforming power of a liberal arts education. UVa-Wise has a tradition of not only preparing students for careers but of cultivating their humanity. Based on the high quality of the College's faculty, staff and academic programs, I am confident that together we can lead this institution to new heights as the best public liberal arts college in the nation."

Formal approval of Kaplan's appointment is expected at the University's Board of Visitors meeting on June 15 in Charlottesville. Kaplan will assume his new post July 1.

In addition to his time at Butler, Kaplan was dean of the arts and humanities at the State University of New York College at Buffalo for two years, and before that director of the Center for International Programs at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo. During his tenures as a dean, he worked with state legislators and was involved in fund raising and community relations. At Butler, he chaired the council of deans, represented all the colleges on the board of trustees and chaired the university's strategy and policy team on innovation.

Today's announcement comes after a six-month search for the College's seventh chancellor. A 14-member search committee -- comprised of faculty, staff, a student, and representatives from both the UVa-Wise and the University's boards -- reviewed 60 applications for the post. As part of the final interview process, Kaplan, his wife and youngest daughter recently visited the College for three days, meeting with faculty, staff, students and community leaders.

"Steven Kaplan is the right person, at the right time, for the chancellor's job," said William J. Sturgill, chair of the UVa-Wise Board and the search committee. "Mr. Kaplan exhibits the characteristics necessary for the continued enhancement of the quality of the undergraduate experience at one of the South's top public liberal arts colleges. He possesses the educational credentials, administrative skills, vision, and personal charisma to work effectively with the college community, the community of Southwest Virginia, the University of Virginia and the Commonwealth."

"I encourage the UVa-Wise Board, faculty, administration, staff, students and entire college community to rally behind Mr. Kaplan as he leads The University of Virginia's College at Wise in its mission to become the top public liberal arts college in the United States," Sturgill added.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Kaplan is a professor of English at Butler. He has authored a book on American translations of the famed German poet Rainer Maria Rilke and numerous articles on American and German literature. In 1995, Kaplan published a book on critically acclaimed Vietnam novelist Tim O'Brien's fiction with the University of South Carolina Press and, in 1994, an anthology of international war stories with the University Press of Colorado.

From 1989 until 1996, Kaplan held several teaching and administrative positions at the University of Southern Colorado, including assistant professor of English, associate professor of English, and chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages. Kaplan also worked as a visiting lecturer in American studies and as an instructor of English as a second language at Eberhard-Karls Universitat Tubingen in Germany and at the University of Maryland's European division as an instructor of English and American literature and composition.

Kaplan received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California at Los Angeles and both a master's degree and Ph.D. in comparative literature from the Eberhard-Karls Universitat Tubingen, one of the oldest universities in Europe. He also earned a diploma from Harvard University's Management Development Program.

Kaplan, 47, and his wife, Anemone, have four children: Aljoscha, 22, Silia, 19, Noemi, 17 and Janina, 15.

Ranked one of the South's top public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, UVa-Wise is home to 1,500 students.

For more information, contact Jane Meade-Dean in the Office of College Relations at 540-328-0130 or via e-mail at jmeade-dean@virginia.edu.