Capaldi Named Provost Of University At Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Psychologist Elizabeth Deutsch Capaldi, formerly provost at the University of Florida, has been named provost of the University at Buffalo.

The appointment, effective July 1, was announced by UB President William R. Greiner.

"Elizabeth Capaldi possesses a rare blend of qualities that are essential for this position: she is an accomplished scholar who is nationally renowned in her field -- psychology -- and she is a seasoned academic administrator with experience at a major research university," said Greiner. "She comes to UB highly recommended by her peers at the University of Florida, where she was an important leader during a decade in which that university rose to national prominence in its sponsored-program activity.

"Her scholarly and administrative achievements will be tremendous assets to UB," he said. "We are absolutely delighted that she will be joining us as a faculty member and administrator."

A member of the University of Florida faculty since 1988, Capaldi was provost from 1996-99. She currently serves as president of the American Psychological Society, a 15,000-member organization devoted to promoting, protecting and advancing the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in research, application, and the improvement of human welfare. Its members cover the entire spectrum of basic and applied psychological science.

While at Florida, Capaldi also served as special assistant to the president for the Florida Quality Evaluation Project, an internal planning and evaluation project that measured all aspects of the university, and as director of the Office of Institutional Research.

In addition, she headed the university's self-study for reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1991.

Prior to joining the University of Florida faculty, she was a professor of psychology at Purdue University, chairing the Department of Psychological Sciences and serving as assistant dean of the Graduate School at the university.

A native of New York City, Capaldi received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Rochester and a doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her research interests lie in the areas of motivation and learning. Her current work is on incentives and preference learning, using both animal and human subjects.

She has authored or co-authored nearly 50 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored an introductory psychology textbook, now in its fourth edition, and edited two books on the psychology of eating.

She has served as associate editor of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review and a consulting editor for Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes.

Capaldi is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and served as president of the Midwestern Psychological Association.

Capaldi will succeed SUNY Distinguished Professor David J. Triggle, who is stepping down as provost to continue as dean of the Graduate School.