Former administrator Dr. Judith “Judy” Kuipers passed away on Oct. 15. Born on June 24, 1937, Kuipers was vice president of Academic Affairs for Fresno State from 1984 to 1991. She became chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, from 1991 to 2000, and later served as president of Fielding Graduate University (Santa Barbara) from 2000 to 2009.

She earned her Ph.D. in human development and early education from Michigan State University. She was an American Council on Education Fellow and a recipient of a Fulbright Award in 1994 to East Germany to examine higher education in the new German states.

She and her late husband, Jerry, moved back to Fresno in 2009 to be near family. Dr. Kuipers served on the College of Arts and Humanities Advisory Board from 2010 to 2020. She also served as the president of the Fresno Philharmonic board from 2015 to 2017.

To learn more about Dr. Kuipers and how she supported Fresno State, visit the College of Arts and Humanities blog.