The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Dec. 8) ratified the appointment of Kenneth C. “Chris” Holford as chancellor of Purdue University Northwest , effective Jan. 8, 2024. Holford has served since May 2020 as PNW’s provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. As provost, he has prioritized the quality of the student experience, the importance of developing a highly trained workforce and the enrichment of the regional community. He has emphasized the importance of academic and research quality at PNW, leading to a tripling of sponsored research activity at the institution over the past three years.

A professor of biology, Holford has served the PNW campuses for more than 20 years, previously as founding dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences since PNW’s formation in 2016. He also was dean of the College of Sciences and chair of the Department of Biology and Chemistry at the former Purdue North Central, which is now the Westville, Indiana, branch campus of PNW. Holford earned a PhD in biology from Illinois State University, a master’s in zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Augustana College.

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