DANIELE STRUPPA
President
Chapman University
Orange
Born in Milan, Italy
Age: 63
Lives in Big Canyon, Newport Beach
WHY: Oversees OC’s largest private university with 8,300-plus students, about $350 million endowment.
HOW: Appointed dean of George Mason University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1997 following stint as director of its Center for the Applications of Mathematics, chairman of Department of Mathematical Studies, and associate dean for graduate students. Joined Chapman in 2006 as provost; appointed first chancellor following year. In 2016, Struppa became Chapman’s 13th president, succeeding Jim Doti.
RECENT: $500 million campaign ongoing, as part of five-year plan dedicated to university’s endowment. Received $45 million donation from Chapman alumnus Dale Fowler and his wife, Sarah Ann, for Fowler School of Engineering, opening fall 2020. School to be housed in three-story Keck Center for Science and Engineering, which opened last year.
QUOTABLE: New facilities “transcend bricks and mortar and set us on a path to actually confirm our capability as an institution and set us on a path toward an incredible future.”
FAST FACT: Avid mountain climber in earlier years, bonded with Doti over shared interest.
PERSONAL: Degree in mathematics from University of Milan in 1977; doctorate in mathematics from University of Maryland-College Park in 1981. Edited or co-authored 10-plus books. Wife, Lisa Sparks, founding dean, Chapman School of Communication. Four children.
