Córdova to Lead Purdue

France A. Córdova, chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, will become the next president of Purdue University, according to a recent article in The Chronicle.

Purdue’s Board of Trustees decided unanimously to designate the 59-year-old astrophysicist and former chief scientist for NASA as the university’s 11th president.

J. Timothy McGinley, chairman of Purdue’s board, told Chronicle reporter Paul Fain that “Dr. Córdova stood out as the right person at the right time for Purdue.” He also referred to her stellar qualifications, calling her résumé “truly out of this world.”

Her exact start date and the terms of her contract have yet to be determined. She will replace Martin C. Jischke, who is retiring from the Purdue presidency this summer after 7 years of service.

For more information, also see Purdue’s Web site.