Hunter’s Provost Wins an Award With 333 Years of History Behind It

Vita Carulli Rabinowitz, Hunter’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, is the winner of the 2011 Cornaro Award, which is given each year to an Italian American woman who holds a PhD and has “achieved excellence in her chosen field.” The award, presented by the New York Lodge of the Sons of Italy in America, is named for Elena Lucrezia Cornaro, who earned a doctorate in 1678, the first woman in history to do so.

In her letter nominating Dr. Rabinowitz for the award, President Jennifer J. Raab praised “her impressive scholarly work on gender issues, her broad-ranging efforts to advance women in science and her leadership role in improving the academic profile of Hunter College for all of its students and faculty.”

An active participant in all aspects of life at Hunter, Dr. Rabinowitz has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology since 1978 and a member of the doctoral faculty of the City University since 1989. She served as chair of the Department of Psychology, as acting associate provost, as co-director of the Gender Equity Project, and as acting provost. She was named provost in 2007.