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Hart helped Claremont to focus on the structural and academic issues that are critical for a top doctoral research institution. She led efforts to develop a new academic plan, created a program to prepare graduate students to be university teachers, founded an office of institutional research, started an office of sponsored research and revamped career services, according to Natalie Blickenstaff, who worked with her for four years as assistant to the provost.

President Hart with her husband, Randy, on the terrace of the president's house. "He's my best friend," she says, "and has been for as long as I can remember." Photo by Kindra Clineff

When Hart arrived at Claremont, Blickenstaff says, "she hit the ground running. She learned a lot about the history and culture here, but she didn't try to fit in with previous patterns and leadership styles. She has the ability to pull off change. When you talk about a particular issue, it doesn't go into a black hole; it gets taken care of. She's very good at follow through and at delegation."

Hart had a mission at Claremont, Blickenstaff observes. "She was here to serve the university, and she lived by that credo. She spent her energy with the best interests of CGU in mind." She'll be that kind of president for UNH, too, Blickenstaff believes. "She's going to be a great president because she has real leadership talent. Ann has a broad vision; she sees how the different parts of the university fit together, and she'll be able to manage those parts to fulfill the institutional mission."

Betty Hagelbarger, former dean of students at Claremont, agrees. "Ann has the ability to look at a situation and respond to the total picture," she says. "There are hard decisions to be made, and she can make them. She believes in what she's doing. She knows what the institution is about, knows what education is about. She's focused on students and faculty being a part of the governance of the institution. She does her homework; she doesn't go into a situation not knowing what she's talking about.

Ann Hart has taken up knitting since the birth of her two grandchildren. The sweater set for grandson Zane reflescts her Swedish heritage. Photo by Kindra Clineff

"And there's a human side to Ann that is very real and very genuine and that makes her a marvelous package as an administrator and a human being," Hagelbarger adds. "She's very warm, very capable. I find her to be remarkable. ... I think when you have the kind of gifts that Ann has, they need to be used. Her talents are so many. She'll make a marvelous president."

Hart's accomplishments are all the more remarkable because she has not followed a traditional route to academic leadership. She married Randy, her high school sweetheart, when she was 19 and he was 20 and both were still in college at the University of Utah. "We met in the high school orchestra," she says. "I was first-chair cellist, and he was first clarinet. Corny, huh? We both grew up in traditional homes, so when we got married, most of our acquaintances expected I'd drop out of college." But she and Randy both loved learning, and they supported each other's academic aspirations. "We put each other through school. We worked hard, but it was fun, too. Randy's my best friend and has been for as long as I can remember."

Avid bird watchers, the Harts keep their binoculars close at hand when they're in the garden. Now that they're in the East, they are becoming acquainted with a new set of birds. Photo by Kindra Clineff

Hart graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1970 and began teaching history, math and English at Cottonwood High School and Bonneville Junior High School in Salt Lake City the following fall. The first of the Harts' four daughters, Kimberly, was born that year, followed by Liza in 1973, Emily in 1976 and Allyson in 1979. Hart gave up teaching after three years to stay home with her growing family, while Randy, who had completed his law degree, was working as a prosecuting attorney.

While she was a full-time mom, Hart also became a student again, taking courses toward a master's degree in history at the University of Utah. She received her master's in 1981 and was back in a junior high school classroom that fall. Her career took an unanticipated turn in 1982, however, when she received a fellowship from the university and the Utah State Society of Superintendents that enabled her to return to the university and complete the requirements for a Ph.D. in educational administration, which she earned in 1983. That fall, she took on her first assignment in a leadership role when she was appointed principal of Farrer Junior High School in Provo, Utah.

Hart had been a principal for only one year when her alma mater invited her to return as an assistant professor in the educational administration department, focusing on educational leadership and policy. Over the course of the next 14 years, she advanced to the rank of full professor and took on increasing administrative responsibilities. She became associate dean of the College of Education, then dean of the Graduate School, then special assistant to the president. "I never really planned a career in administration during the years I was working toward tenure and promotion," she says. "I just gradually became more involved in issues that were broader than my department or my college. I was fascinated by what I could learn and by the complexity of the issues that universities face."

The opportunity for Hart to go to Claremont Graduate University came not long after her youngest daughter had left home for college. It seemed the right time, personally and professionally, for a change. As provost and vice president for academic affairs, she was responsible for all of the university's schools, programs, centers and institutes, as well as student affairs, faculty affairs, research administration, legal affairs, budget development and more. It was, in other words, the perfect opportunity to acquire the experience and demonstrate the abilities that a university president must possess.

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