Before arriving at NIU, Beth Ingram, Ph.D. served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at North Dakota State University (NDSU). At NDSU, she created and implemented a new strategic plan and built productive relationships to develop a better sense of direction for the institution. Through these efforts, and her leadership during an economic downturn in North Dakota, Ingram earned a reputation as a collaborative leader and data-informed problem-solver.

Ingram is committed to academic excellence, and she has demonstrated the ability to advance faculty scholarship and student success. At NDSU, she facilitated positive changes in research administration as well as the promotion and tenure processes. She drove innovation in student support, including the creation of an early alert and advising system and the development of curriculum maps and four-year plans. Those efforts were credited with helping the school boost its four-year graduation rate from 26 percent to 37 percent over four years.

Before her time at NDSU, Ingram spent 26 years at the University of Iowa where she served as associate provost for undergraduate education, dean of the University College, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the Tippie College of Business and chair of the department of economics. She began her career in academe an assistant professor of economics at Cornell University in 1986 after completing her Ph.D. degree in economics at the University of Minnesota. In 1988, she returned to the University of Iowa, where she did her undergraduate work, rising to the position of full professor in 2001. She held several prestigious professorships and won numerous awards for her teaching.