Roger Benjamin, Pitt’s provost in the mid-1980s, whose later career was dedicated to education assessment and redesign, has died at 83.
“Roger was distinctive to me as a provost particularly because, as an effective administrator, he took an active and direct interest in the individual research of the faculty,” recalled History of Art and Architecture faculty member Katheryn Linduff, who was chair of the department when Benjamin was provost. She remembered him as an “intellectual partner and friend. He was in that sense devoted to getting to know the intellectual shape of Pitt and of individuals in all areas of expertise.
“I was of course quite aware of the research of all members of my group, including his wife, Alison Stones, but as well of those of us who participated in Asian Studies, in which Roger and I were also trained. His research interests were focused in a discipline distinct from mine and our Art Historical team, but he understood well the process of research and its important contribution to the education of our students and to a broader humanistic understanding of human behavior at the most basic levels.
“It was enormously valuable to have a person in his position who was enormously curious about our work and really understood and wanted to support our endeavors. He was aimed at creating and supporting an inclusive atmosphere for faculty that was both responsible and responsive
Born in Lansing, Mich., on April 18, 1942, Benjamin earned his bachelor of arts degree from Michigan State in political science and Chinese, followed by a PhD. He began his academic career in 1968 in the University of Minnesota’s political science department. He received Fulbright senior fellowships to Japan (1969-70), Taiwan (1971-72) and Korea (1973).
Benjamin was the author or co-author of more than 80 articles and books before becoming provost, first at Minnesota and then at Pitt (1983-86). In 1990, he moved to the education department of the RAND Corporation and was part of the Commission on National Investment in Higher Education, making policy recommendations.
He was president of the Council for Aid to Education (2005-2019), creating the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), which measures students’ higher-order skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, effective written communication), aiding employers in better pinpointing graduates to hire. He also served as chair of the board of the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund (2002-2007) and led projects to redesign universities from Chile to Qatar.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Margaret Alison Benjamin (née Stones), children Victoria, Oliver, Elizabeth and Christopher, and seven grandchildren.
— Marty Levine