Ruth Watkins

Watkins completed a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology, graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with highest honors in 1985. She completed her graduate work at the University of Kansas, earning a master's degree in child language/speech-language pathology in 1987, and a PhD in child language in 1989. ==Career==

In 1989, Watkins was appointed as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, as well as program director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders, where she worked until 1993. and an emphasis on cross-disciplinary science, including support for interdisciplinary cluster hires via her creation of the Transformative Excellence Program. On January 18, 2018, Watkins was appointed as the 16th president of the U of U. She officially assumed this position on April 2, 2018, and was the first woman to serve in the post. == Murder of Lauren McCluskey ==

Watkins was questioned for the university's actions in and response to the murder on campus of track athlete Lauren McCluskey in 2018, including her "insistence shortly after the murder that there wasn't 'any reason to believe this tragedy could have been prevented'." Watkins faced criticism from the student-run newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle. In a press conference on the second anniversary of the murder, announcing a $13.5 million settlement to a foundation in McCluskey's name which will promote campus safety, Watkins stated the university had "failed Lauren." On January 12, 2021, Watkins announced that she would be stepping down as president of the University of Utah as of April 7, 2021 to become president of Strada Impact. When asked to comment, McCluskey's mother Jill indicated she and her husband "wish Watkins the best in her future endeavors" and would continue to work with campus leaders to improve safety. ==References==