Scripps College President Lori Bettison-Varga on Saturday received a Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara, at its inaugural Women in Leadership event.
Bettison-Varga, who became Scripps College’s eighth president in July 2009, was selected for this honor because of her exemplary leadership in the field of higher education. During her tenure, applications for admissions to Scripps have increased significantly, and the College successfully launched the largest fundraising campaign in its history.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition from my alma mater,” said President Bettison-Varga. “My UC Santa Barbara education provided a solid foundation for many challenging and rewarding academic and professional experiences, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
Prior to Scripps College, Bettison-Varga was provost and dean of faculty at Whitman College. She also served as associate dean for research and grants and chair of the Geology Department at The College of Wooster, and director of the Keck Geology Consortium. An accomplished geologist, Bettison-Varga’s research has appeared in several peer-reviewed publications, including Geology, American Mineralogist, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta and Tectonics.
She has a doctorate degree and a master’s degree in geology from the University of California, Davis. Bettison-Varga earned a bachelor’s degree in geology, with honors, from the University of California, Santa Barbara.