BIOGRAPHY

JOSEPH A. CHAPMAN

President

Joseph A. Chapman has led North Dakota State University since June 1999, and under his energetic and visionary leadership, the university has transformed in a number of important measures.

Student enrollment has grown each year of his tenure. Undergraduate students from around the region, the nation and the world have made NDSU their institution of choice. The university also added numerous master's programs, and the number of doctoral program offerings has more than doubled since 1999.

Chapman also has energized the university's research efforts, broadening the portfolio from less than $50 million in research expenditures to more than $100 million for the past several years. This is an important and recognized indicator of the caliber of work conducted. In fact, NDSU is listed in the top 100 research universities in the country in several National Science Foundation categories, and when ranked by research and development expenditures among 537 research universities without a medical school, NDSU is 41st in the National Science Foundation report.

He sought partnerships from the private sector to enable expansion of NDSU's Research and Technology Park, a catalyst for innovation in science and technology. The NDSU park is considered a model for success by partnering with private sector companies to enhance the educational opportunities and economic activity in the state and region.

Also under his guidance, the university has transitioned to a Division I NCAA athletic program. In their first years of eligibility, the volleyball and men's basketball teams were Summit League regular season conference champions and competed in their post-season tournaments.

On behalf of North Dakota State University, Chapman has traveled extensively in the state and around the world, to enhance the connections vital to a successful university. Each summer Chapman leads a tour to various locations in the state called Conversations Across the Land, to listen to citizens and share information about education and research at NDSU.

Before coming to NDSU, Chapman was senior vice president and provost at Montana State University, Bozeman, where he also served as a professor of biology. Among his responsibilities were a wide array of statewide initiatives, including a system of academic and outreach programs at Montana's two-year and four-year campuses. Prior to joining Montana State in 1996, he was dean of the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. From 1969 to 1983, he worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, advancing to head the Appalachian Environmental Laboratory. He also was a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1965 to 1967.

Chapman earned his bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate from Oregon State University, Corvallis. He lists 11 books and editorships, eight monographs, 31 book chapters and symposia proceedings, 67 journal publications and more than 100 reports and popular articles.

He is active in a number of organizations in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and is a member of the boards of directors of US Bank, Fargo/Cass County Economic Development Corp., NDSU Alumni Association and the NDSU Research and Technology Park. He also is a trustee of the NDSU Development Foundation.

Chapman is a fellow of the Explorer's Club and the Institute of Biology, London. He is a member of the Wildlife Society, American Society of Mammalogists and American Philatelic Society. He also is an honorary member of the Species Survival Commission, which has headquarters in Switzerland. In 2000, he was invited to join the Cosmos Club, a private social club founded in 1878 in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to science, literature and art.

Joseph and Gale Chapman have two daughters, Valerie and Jennifer.