W. Ann Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Wynetka Ann Reynolds is a zoologist and university administrator who has served as provost of the Ohio State University
(1979-1982), chancellor of the California State University
(CSU) system (1982-1990), chancellor of the City University of New York
(CUNY) (1990-1997), and president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(1997-2003). She is the only person to have headed two (CSU and CUNY) of the three largest systems of higher education in the United States.
. Her father was a Presbyterian minister, and she spent her early years on Indian reservations in Oklahoma and Arizona. She earned a B.S. degree at Emporia State University
in 1958, and M.A. (1960) and Ph.D. (1962) degrees in zoology from the University of Iowa
.
in 1979 and stayed for three years.
system, replacing Glenn S. Dumke
, who had held the job for twenty years, most of the life of the CSU system. Although her term was generally successful, she was forced to resign in 1990 when the system trustees questioned the substantial pay raises she had given herself, other top executives, and campus presidents.
(CUNY) in 1990, the system's open enrollment policy had been the subject of debate for two decades. Reynolds defended open enrollment, and also worked to develop stronger college preparatory courses before students entered CUNY – which resulted in applicants with stronger academic records. Reynold's effort to introduce academic coordination among campuses and reduce duplicated programs was less successful, and provoked resistance from faculty and administrators. She angered mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani by attempting to relieve students on welfare from workfare
requirements. She removed Leonard Jeffries
as chairman of the black studies department at City College after he made anti-Semitic comments. In 1994 critics charged she spent too much time serving on the boards of five companies; Reynolds replied corporate contacts strengthened CUNY. According to The New York Times, when she left CUNY in 1997, she had a reputation as a "hard-charging, sometimes tyrannical administrator who can be utterly charming but also short-tempered and brusque."
, but things did not go smoothly. Reynolds claimed she was forced out of the presidency because of gender and age, and filed a federal discrimination complaint. She charged that system chancellor Thomas C. Meredith treated her "in a demeaning and sexist manner," including having her stand in line in the rain to buy theater tickets for him, restricting her contact with board members, and after firing her in 2002, offering her a retirement package less than those offered to other outgoing presidents. She accepted a one-year position as director of the university's Center for Community Outreach and Development from 2002 to 2003.
Reynolds is currently a director of Abbott Laboratories
, Invitrogen Corporation
, Humana Inc., and Owens Corning
.
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
(1979-1982), chancellor of the California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
(CSU) system (1982-1990), chancellor of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(CUNY) (1990-1997), and president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
(1997-2003). She is the only person to have headed two (CSU and CUNY) of the three largest systems of higher education in the United States.
Early life and education
Wynetka Ann Reynolds was born in 1938 in Coffeyville, KansasCoffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
. Her father was a Presbyterian minister, and she spent her early years on Indian reservations in Oklahoma and Arizona. She earned a B.S. degree at Emporia State University
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
in 1958, and M.A. (1960) and Ph.D. (1962) degrees in zoology from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Academic career
Reynolds began teaching in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois in 1965. She was named Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Illinois Medical Center in 1972 and served until 1979. She was named provost at Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1979 and stayed for three years.
California State University (1982 – 1990)
In 1982 Reynolds was designated chancellor of the California State UniversityCalifornia State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
system, replacing Glenn S. Dumke
Glenn S. Dumke
Glenn S. Dumke was a historian and chancellor of the California State University system from 1962 to 1982 – most of its first twenty years...
, who had held the job for twenty years, most of the life of the CSU system. Although her term was generally successful, she was forced to resign in 1990 when the system trustees questioned the substantial pay raises she had given herself, other top executives, and campus presidents.
City University of New York (1990 – 1997)
When Reynolds became the president of the City University of New YorkCity University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(CUNY) in 1990, the system's open enrollment policy had been the subject of debate for two decades. Reynolds defended open enrollment, and also worked to develop stronger college preparatory courses before students entered CUNY – which resulted in applicants with stronger academic records. Reynold's effort to introduce academic coordination among campuses and reduce duplicated programs was less successful, and provoked resistance from faculty and administrators. She angered mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani by attempting to relieve students on welfare from workfare
Workfare
Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. The term was first introduced by civil rights leader James Charles Evers in 1968; however, it was popularized by Richard Nixon in a televised speech August 1969...
requirements. She removed Leonard Jeffries
Leonard Jeffries
Leonard Jeffries Jr. is an American professor of black studies at the City College of New York, part of the City University of New York. He achieved national prominence in the early 1990s for his controversial statements about Jews and other white people...
as chairman of the black studies department at City College after he made anti-Semitic comments. In 1994 critics charged she spent too much time serving on the boards of five companies; Reynolds replied corporate contacts strengthened CUNY. According to The New York Times, when she left CUNY in 1997, she had a reputation as a "hard-charging, sometimes tyrannical administrator who can be utterly charming but also short-tempered and brusque."
University of Alabama at Birmingham (1997 – 2003)
In 1997 she was named president of the University of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
, but things did not go smoothly. Reynolds claimed she was forced out of the presidency because of gender and age, and filed a federal discrimination complaint. She charged that system chancellor Thomas C. Meredith treated her "in a demeaning and sexist manner," including having her stand in line in the rain to buy theater tickets for him, restricting her contact with board members, and after firing her in 2002, offering her a retirement package less than those offered to other outgoing presidents. She accepted a one-year position as director of the university's Center for Community Outreach and Development from 2002 to 2003.
Reynolds is currently a director of Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
, Invitrogen Corporation
Invitrogen
Invitrogen Corporation was a large, multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. In November 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen was finalized...
, Humana Inc., and Owens Corning
Owens Corning
Owens Corning Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass and related products. It was formed in 1935 as a partnership between two major American glassworks, Corning Glass Works and Owens-Illinois. The company was spun off as a separate entity on November 1, 1938...
.
Books by W. Ann Reynolds
- with Gary Parker and Rex Reynolds, DNA: The Key to Life (1966; Longman, 1975)
- with Gary Parker, Mitosis and Meiosis (1966; Dearborn Trade Publishing, 1979)
- Beauty in the Bureaucracy, the David Dodds Henry lecture (Springfield: University of Illinois, 1998), 30 pp.