Peter William Likins (born July 4, 1936) is a retired American professor and academic. He was president of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

from 1982 to 1997 and the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

from 1997 until his retirement in summer 2006.''Important moments in Likins' term'', DailyWildcat.com
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Biography

Likins graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1953, where he was captain of the wrestling team and co-captain of the football team. He attended

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

as an undergraduate, studying civil engineering and became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He earned a master's from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

and a PhD from Stanford. He was a faculty member at UCLA from 1964 until 1976. Likins was the dean of Columbia's engineering school from 1976 to 1980 and provost of the university for professional schools from 1980 to 1981.

President of Lehigh University

He was president of

from 1982 to 1997. Likins was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

(1984) for contributions to spacecraft dynamics and control, and for leadership in engineering education through teaching, research, writing, and academic administration. While serving as President of Lehigh, first year student Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered. After the tragedy, Likins worked with Clery's parents and the United States Congress to pass the Clery Act. At both Columbia and Lehigh, Likins was also professor of

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

President of the University of Arizona

He then served as president of the

from 1997 until his retirement in summer 2006. During the last semester of his presidency, a wire from his pacemaker poked a hole in his heart, causing him to nearly faint during an emergency drill being conducted on campus at the time. He underwent open heart surgery soon thereafter. Under different conditions emergency medical personnel might not have been able to respond in time to save him.

Notes

Sources

4.lehigh.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Likins, Peter Presidents of Lehigh University Columbia University faculty Presidents of the University of Arizona Living people 1936 births Santa Cruz High School alumni