Evelyn Erika Handler (née Sass; May 5, 1933 – December 23, 2011) served from 1980 to 1983 as the University of New Hampshire's fourteenth, and first female, President.
[1] Handler was the first woman in the country to be named president of a publicly supported land grant university.
She was credited with bringing in $15 million in federal grants for a science and engineering research center.
Notable achievements during her tenure include the initiation of The Volen National Center for Complex Systems, the strengthening of life sciences at Brandeis, admission to the Association of American Universities, and founding membership in the University Athletic Association.
Additionally, she was elected to the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences in 1979, and served as a director of the Student Loan Corporation (Stamford, CT).