BOSTON, Mass. – Wentworth Institute of Technology
President Dr. Zorica Pantić, who has served as the
Institute’s president since 2005, was recently appointed to
represent the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) on the National
Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division III
Presidents Council. Dr. Pantić’s term of service on the
council began following the DIII Business Session at the 2014 NCAA
Convention on January 18 and will continue through January
2018.
The 15-member Presidents Council is Division III's primary
governance body, overseeing the Division III Management Council and
the division's committee structure. The Council meets on a
quarterly basis and has budgetary oversight, as well as the
ultimate authority to establish, direct and implement policies for
the Division.
Dr. Pantić, who has served as the CCC Board of Directors
chair since July of 2013, joins the Presidents Council after
serving with the NCAA Chancellor/Presidents Advisory Group since
the spring of 2012. The appointment marks the first time a CCC
President has been named a member of the NCAA Division III
Presidents Council.
"I'm honored to represent the Commonwealth Coast Conference as a
member of the Presidents Council," said Dr. Zorica Pantić. "I
look forward to the great opportunity to be part of this leadership
team and be involved with an organization that is critical to the
success of our student-athletes."
For more than 30 years, Dr. Pantić has been an academic
entrepreneur, technology advocate, agent for change, and a champion
for diversity, making a positive impact at regional, state, and
national levels. As Wentworth’s first female president and
the first female engineer to lead a higher education institution of
technology in the United States, Dr. Pantić’s leadership
is exemplified by her strategic thinking and vision for
implementing key initiatives and programs that advance educational
opportunities for students pursuing studies in engineering,
technology, design, sciences, and management.
Under her leadership, Wentworth has increased its enrollment by
9.6%; raised more than $22 million in private and corporate
donations; launched five new engineering-specific bachelor’s
degree programs in biomedical engineering, civil engineering,
electrical engineering, engineering-interdisciplinary, and
mechanical engineering; launched its first master’s programs
in Architecture and Construction Management; restructured the
academic organization into a four college system to increase
efficiencies and enhance multi-disciplinary educational
opportunities; commenced construction on two new and renovated
facilities–a modern campus center and a Center for Sciences
and Biomedical Engineering; and developed a variety of outreach
programs to increase the diversity of the student body.
Before arriving at Wentworth, Dr. Pantić served as the
director of the School of Engineering at San Francisco State
University (SFSU) and the founding dean of the College of
Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
– one of just 10 female engineering deans in the U.S. at the
time. At all academic institutions, she developed active outreach
and retention programs that resulted in significant increase in the
number of female and underrepresented minority students in STEM
disciplines.
Dr. Pantić earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and
doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the University of
Nis in Serbia, at which she is currently serving as the President
of the Alumni Association.
(Contributions to this release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast
Conference)