Carol Cartwright

Carol Cartwright
President of Kent State University
In office March 1991 – July 2006
Preceded by	Michael Schwartz (educational administrator)
Succeeded by	Lester Lefton
President of Bowling Green State University
In office 2008–2011
Preceded by	Sidney A. Ribeau
Succeeded by	Mary Ellen Mazey
Personal details
Spouse	Dr. G. Phillip Cartwright
Children	Three
Residence	Napa, California
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin Whitewater (B.A.), University of Pittsburgh (M.A., Ph.D.)

Carol A. Cartwright is an American academic administrator and former president of Kent State University and, later, of Bowling Green State University.

Cartwright Hall at Kent State University was named after Carol Cartwright

Dr. Cartwright served as the 10th president of Kent State University from March 1991 until July 2006, making her the first woman to serve as president of any Ohio public college or university. During her tenure at Kent State, she led the establishment of new colleges and academic programs in a broad range of fields the introduction of new technologies, and increases in enrollment; she also oversaw an extensive the extensive construction on new campus buildings and the renovation of several others. She also oversaw the completion of the university's first major fund-raising campaign. Upon retirement from Kent State, the Auditorium Building on the university’s Kent Campus was named Cartwright Hall in her honor.

Dr. Cartwright came out of retirement to serve interim president at Bowling Green in July 2008, and was named president on January 6, 2009. Cartwright assumed the presidency of the university during challenging times, confronted with a continued trend of declining enrollment caused by the Great Recession and saw one of the smallest Fall Freshman class in its history. She retired in June, 2011.

Cartwright was previously the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of California at Davis and dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost at The Pennsylvania State University.

The Mid-American Conference established the Cartwright Award in her honor, given annually to the member university with the best overall record in athletic competition, academic achievement and public service.

The scope of her contributions to higher education led to Dr. Cartwright’s induction into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She has also received numerous other awards, including the Clairol Mentor Award in Education, the northeast Ohio ATHENA Award, the March of Dimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt Humanitarian Award for Excellence, and the American College of Education Mentor of the Year Award.

She served on the Knight Commission beginning in 2000,, and in 2010 she was elected as vice chair to NPR. Dr. Cartwright has served on the boards of directors of KeyCorp (retiring in 2012), Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. (1992-98) the Davey Tree Expert Company (2002-08), PolyOne Corporation, and FirstEnergy Corporation.

Dr. Cartwright earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. She also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Heidelberg University in 2012.

Dr. Cartwright has resided in Napa, California, since 2019.