TCNJ

6 The College of New Jersey Magazine P R A I R I E K athryn "Kate" Foster, a New Jersey native, earned a bachelor's degree in geography and environmental engineering, a master's in city planning, and a doctorate in public and international affairs. She worked as a county planner in California and a college professor and administrator in Buffalo, spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland, and for the past six years, she's been president of the University of Maine at Farmington. No wonder she refers to herself as an "unapologetic generalist." Starting July 1, Foster can also call herself the 16th president of The College of New Jersey. Foster's hiring was announced on March 27, following a nationwide search and a unanimous vote by the TCNJ Board of Trustees. Board chair Jorge Caballero says the search committee was especially impressed with Foster's understanding of the college's history. "We were looking for someone who had the vision to take us to the next level, and that's really what the committee found in Kate Foster," Caballero says. Foster will succeed R. Barbara Gitenstein, who has every confidence that Foster will be successful at TCNJ. "Kate has the right experience to prepare her for this role, having served as a chief executive officer in a state environment," says Gitenstein, who has spoken to her successor regularly to help ease the transition. "While experience matters a lot, even more important is Kate's deep appreciation for the culture and promise of TCNJ. She is going to be different from me, and PhD, Public and International Affairs 1993 BA, Geography and Environmental Engineering 1979 Volunteer Kingdom of Swaziland 1987–89 Education The Foster File Master's, City and Regional Planning 1981 Watch a video about Foster at presidentelect.tcnj.edu, and read about her plans for her presidency in our Fall 2018 issue.

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