Evelyn Erika Handler served from 1980 to 1983 as the
University of New HampshireThe University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. The sixth college of the University, University of New Hampshire at Manchester, is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH...
's fourteenth and first female president. In 1983, Handler was inaugurated as President of
Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University is a private research university with a liberal arts focus, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate...
, where she was also the first woman to hold that position. Notable achievements during her tenure include the initiation of the Volen Center for Complex Systems, the strengthening of life sciences at Brandeis, admission to the
Association of American UniversitiesThe Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
, and founding membership in the
University Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association , also known as "The Nerdy Nine", is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III...
.
Evelyn Erika Handler served from 1980 to 1983 as the
University of New HampshireThe University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. The sixth college of the University, University of New Hampshire at Manchester, is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH...
's fourteenth and first female president. In 1983, Handler was inaugurated as President of
Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University is a private research university with a liberal arts focus, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate...
, where she was also the first woman to hold that position. Notable achievements during her tenure include the initiation of the Volen Center for Complex Systems, the strengthening of life sciences at Brandeis, admission to the
Association of American UniversitiesThe Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
, and founding membership in the
University Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association , also known as "The Nerdy Nine", is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III...
. After leaving Brandeis in 1991, Handler was a research fellow and associate of the Graduate School of Education at
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
, and a senior fellow at
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingFounded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
. From 1994 to 1997, she served as
California Academy of SciencesThe California Academy of Sciences is one of the ten largest museums of natural history in the World . Remodeled in 2008, it is also one of the newest in the United States. It is located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California...
' executive director and CEO.
Earlier in her career, she was Dean of Sciences and Mathematics, and professor of biological sciences at
Hunter CollegeHunter College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Originally known as the Normal College, Hunter was founded in 1870 by Irish immigrant and social reformer Thomas Hunter as a teacher-training school...
, where she had earned her undergraduate degree. Dr. Handler earned M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from
New York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and a J.D. from
Franklin Pierce Law CenterThe Franklin Pierce Law Center is a private, nonprofit, American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Concord, New Hampshire. The school is named after the 14th President of the United States and New Hampshire native Franklin Pierce and is the only law school in New Hampshire. Pierce...
. Her scholarly work includes many publications on
myelogenous leukemiaMyeloid leukemia is a type of leukemia affecting myeloid tissue .Types include:* Acute myelogenous leukemia* Chronic myelogenous leukemia...
.
Handler is a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation between scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for...
, and a fellow of the
New York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than 25,000 members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
. Additionally, she was elected to the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences in 1979, and serves as a director of the Student Loan Corporation (Stamford, CT). She holds honorary degrees from the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
,
Rivier CollegeRivier College is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Nashua, New Hampshire.-History:Named in honor of the blessed Anne Marie Rivier, foundress of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, Rivier College was founded in 1933 by the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Hudson, New Hampshire...
and
Hunter CollegeHunter College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Originally known as the Normal College, Hunter was founded in 1870 by Irish immigrant and social reformer Thomas Hunter as a teacher-training school...
.