Karen R. Hitchcock

1943 - 2019

Hitchcock, Karen R. REXFORD Karen R. Hitchcock passed away after a long illness on July 10, 2019, at her home in Rexford. Born in Williston Park, N.Y. on February 10, 1943, she was predeceased by her parents, Roy Clinton Hitchcock and Ruth Wardell Hitchcock; and by her husband, Murray Reid Blair Jr. All those who knew Karen will uniformly attest to the quality of her mind and life and to the joy and opportunity for intellectual and personal advancement that she brought to many persons through her commitment to higher education and the arts. She received her B.S. degree in biology from St. Lawrence University, and her Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; as a post-doctoral fellow, she conducted research into pulmonary cell biology at The Webb-Waring Institute for Medical Research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Between 1970 and 1985, Karen advanced through the academic ranks, producing a substantial body of research and original scholarship in the areas of anatomy and cellular biology at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, where from 1982 to 1985, she held the George A. Bates Professorship in Histology and served as the chairperson of the Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology at the Tufts University Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and the Sackler Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Boston. Leaving Tufts in 1985, Karen assumed academic and administrative posts at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas, where between 1985 and 1987, she taught in the School of Medicine and also served as associate dean for Basic Sciences, Research and Graduate Studies, and as the interim director of the Tarbox Parkinson's Disease Institute. From 1987 to 1991, she served as vice chancellor for Research, dean of the Graduate College, and professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in Chicago. In 1991, Karen made a move that would impact the Capital District landscape and enlarge the educational and research missions of the University at Albany for the better part of the next three decades. Accepting appointment as the university's vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of Biological Sciences, she brought to fruition the formation of the university's College of Arts and Sciences; oversaw the university's sesquicentennial celebration; implemented a substantial revision of the campus's General Education Program; developed an enrollment management plan across all academic units; created a "Presidential Scholars" program at the undergraduate level and founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. When University President H. Patrick Swygert accepted the presidency of Howard University in 1995, Karen was named interim president of the University at Albany; after a national search, she emerged as the choice for permanent president, the first woman to hold that position in the history of the university. Under Karen's leadership from 1996 to 2003, the university reimagined the possibilities of its educational mission among networks associated with its growing cadre of regional, state, national, and global partners. Recruitment and retention of students added to Albany's reputation as hosting an increasingly diverse student body, while also enhancing its high academic profile. Successful educational initiatives such as "Project Renaissance" added to the university's reputation and attracted steadily increasing numbers of applicants to its undergraduate programs; at the same time, Karen's spearheading of programs in nano-technology and health-related programs expanded not only the university's reputation for excellence but, literally, also its footprint. During the early years of her presidency, Empire Commons was built, Division I athletic programs implemented, and the New York Giants made UAlbany their summer training camp for over ten years. On campus, a new Life Sciences Building and an Art/Sculpture facility improved opportunities for merging research with classroom instruction across a variety of disciplines. Finally, the university's "East Campus" in Rensselaer - now known as the Health Sciences Campus - in conjunction with the state's support for a Center of Excellence in Cancer Genomics and the addition of a campus devoted to the School of Public Health and health-related research and academic programs, led to substantive advancements in biotechnology and biomedical sciences. Karen's departure from the presidency of the University at Albany in 2004 left many in the Capital District feeling the loss of not only an education and community leader, but also of a friend within the larger Capital District community. In her last foray into academic administration, Karen accepted the post of principal (the Canadian equivalent of president in academic settings) and vice-chancellor of Queen's University, one of Canada's most prominent universities, in Kingston, Ontario, where she remained until 2008. After stepping down from that position, Karen and Murray returned to the Capital District and settled permanently in Rexford. Neither she nor Murray ever used the word "retired"; rather, their Rexford home became a gathering place for old friends and new, especially as Karen returned to service on the boards of civic and educational organizations, including Albany Pro Musica, WMHT, and the Doane Stuart School. She co-hosted the very popular "Best of Our Knowledge" national public radio program on WAMC for eight years, and she was a founding co-chair of the Business-Higher education Roundtable and the chair of the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Economic Growth. In 2018, Karen R. Hitchcock was the recipient of the University at Albany Foundation's prestigious Academic Laureate Award. Karen is survived by her brothers, Roy Jr. (Judy) of Washburn, Wis., and Garrett (Patricia) of Greencastle, Ireland; five nieces and nephews, Wendy, Sharon, Sandi, Cristin and Todd; nine grandnieces and nephews, Cassie, Lindsey, Ryan and Mathew, Mitchell, Jacob, Eric, Matthew and Kailey; and two great-grandnieces, Hailey and Rebecca. She is also survived by cousins, Jean, Bruce and John Wardell, Brenda (Hitchcock) Souza, and Edward and Ryer Hitchcock. The family will be receiving guests at the McVeigh Funeral Home on North Allen Street in Albany on July 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. The funeral service will be held in the Christ Community Reformed Church, 1010 Route 146, Clifton Park at 11 a.m. on July 16. Those who wish to honor Karen may send a gift in her name to Karen Hitchcock New Frontiers Fund for IFW or Gift in honor of Karen Albany ProMusica. To leave a message for the family, please visit www.McveighFuneralHome.com