Peter Likins

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Peter Likens was president of the University of Arizona from 1997 until his retirement in summer 2006. He was previously president of Lehigh University. Before moving to Lehigh, he was provost for professional schools at Columbia University and had previously been dean of Columbia's engineering school. At each of these universities, Likins was a professor of electrical engineering.

During the last semester of his presidency, a wire from his pacemaker poked a hole in his heart, causing him to nearly faint during an emergency drill being conducted on campus at the time. He underwent open heart surgery soon thereafter. Under different conditions emergency medical personal would not have been able to respond in time to save him.