ThePresident of the Pennsylvania State University is the chiefadministrator of thePennsylvania State University, serving as chief executive officer of the institution and anex officio member of the 32-memberPenn State Board of Trustees. Included in the list below are all Presidents of the Pennsylvania State University and its precursor institutions, from the first PresidentEvan Pugh and through the current President,Neeli Bendapudi. There have been 19 Presidents of the Pennsylvania State University, not including threeinterregnum presidencies during university presidential transitions.
Pennsylvania's onlyland-grant university, the Pennsylvania State University was established in 1855[1] as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, before becoming the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania in 1863 under University President Evan Pugh, the Pennsylvania State College underJames Calder in 1874 and, finally, the Pennsylvania State University underMilton S. Eisenhower in 1953. Today, the university is part of theCommonwealth System of Higher Education and is one of thelargest universities in the United States.
The following persons have served as president of Pennsylvania State University:[2]
| No. | President | Term start | Term end | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of Farmer's High School of Pennsylvania (1855–1862) | |||||
| 1 |  | Evan Pugh[a] (1828–1864) | 1859 | April 29, 1864[b] | [3][4] |
| Presidents of Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (1862–1874) | |||||
| 2 |  | William Henry Allen (1808–1882) | 1864 | 1866 | [5][6] |
| 3 |  | John Fraser (c. 1823–1878) | 1866 | 1868 | [7][8] |
| 4 |  | Thomas Henry Burrowes (1805–1871) | 1868 | February 25, 1871[b] | [9] |
| Presidents of Pennsylvania State College (1874–1953) | |||||
| 5 |  | James Calder (1826–1893) | 1871 | 1880 | [10][11] |
| 6 |  | Joseph Shortlidge (1832–1911) | 1880 | 1881 | [12] |
| acting |  | James Y. McKee (1836–1891) | 1881 | 1882 | [13][14][15] |
| 7 |  | George W. Atherton[c] (1837–1906) | 1882 | July 24, 1906[b] | |
| acting |  | James A. Beaver (1837–1914) | 1906 | 1908 | [19][20][21] |
| 8 |  | Edwin Erle Sparks (1860–1924) | 1908 | 1920 | [22][23] |
| 9 |  | John Martin Thomas (1869–1952) | 1921 | 1925 | [24][25] |
| 10 |  | Ralph D. Hetzel (1882–1947) | 1927 | October 3, 1947[b] | [26][27] |
| acting |  | James Milholland (1887–1956) | 1947 | 1950 | [28][29][30][31] |
| Presidents of Pennsylvania State University (1953–present) | |||||
| 11 | _portrait.jpg) | Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985) | 1950 | 1956 | [32][33] |
| 12 | | Eric A. Walker (1910–1995) | 1956 | 1970 | [34][35] |
| 13 | | John W. Oswald (1917–1995) | 1970 | June 30, 1983 | [36][37][38] |
| 14 | .jpg) | Bryce Jordan (1924–2016) | July 1, 1983 | August 31, 1990 | [39][40][41][42] |
| 15 | | Joab Thomas (1933–2014) | September 1, 1990 | August 31, 1995 | [43][44] |
| 16 |  | Graham Spanier (born 1948) | September 1, 1995 | November 9, 2011[d] | [45][46][47] |
| interim | | Rodney Erickson (born 1946) | November 9, 2011 | November 17, 2011 | [47] |
| 17 | November 17, 2011 | May 11, 2014 | [48][49][50] | ||
| 18 | _(cropped).jpg) | Eric J. Barron (born 1951) | May 12, 2014 | May 8, 2022 | [51][52][53][54] |
| 19 |  | Neeli Bendapudi (born 1962/63) | May 9, 2022 | present | [55][56] |
Table notes:
james y. mckee 1836.
george w. atherton yale.
During his visits to Penn State's campuses ahead of his first day on May 12, Barron gathered ideas from students, faculty, staff and community leaders...
Eric J. Barron was Penn State's 18th president, retiring on May 8, 2022.
Dr. Neeli Bendapudi became the 19th president of Penn State on May 9th.