Joan Ruth Leitzel (née Phillips; July 2, 1936 â March 5, 2026) was an American mathematician and university administrator. She served as interim Chancellor of the University of NebraskaâÂÂLincoln for six months before becoming the president of the University of New Hampshire. She served in that role from 1996 to 2002 and received the Charles Holmes Pettee Medal in 2002 for her contributions to the University of New Hampshire.
Leitzel graduated from Valparaiso High School. She then attended Hanover College (BA 1958), Brown University (AM 1961), and Indiana University Bloomington (PhD 1965) in algebra under the supervision of .
She was the commencement speaker at Hanover College and received an honorary doctorate degree from her undergraduate alma mater in May 2024.
Joan Leitzel died on March 5, 2026, at the age of 89. A widow, she was survived by two sons, two siblings, four grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and extended family.