An unprecedented number of colleges and universities in the United States have welcomed a new president to campus in 2023. While many factors have contributed to the increased turnover rates in leadership positions, the combination of pandemic challenges, an aging demographic, racial injustice, declining enrollments, and student mental health issues have had a significant effect.
Curious about which schools have new leaders? The following list represents a sample of campuses across the country that have a newly installed president at the helm for the 2023-2024 academic year:
Bates College: Garry W. Jenkins
Boston University: Melissa Gilliam
Bowdoin College: Safa Zaki
Columbia University: Minouche Shafik
Dartmouth College: Sian Leah Beilock
Harvard University: Claudine Gay
Howard University: Ben Vinson III
Kenyon College: Julie Kornfeld
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Sally Kornbluth
Mount Holyoke College: Danielle R. Holley
New York University: Linda G. Mills
Tufts University: Sunil Kumar
University of Florida: Ben Sasse
University of Oregon: John Karl Scholz
Students on these campuses are on the front lines of change and growth, watching and learning from the new presidents who will shape the future of their institutions. As Columbia’s president Minouche Shafik has observed, the students are the “important partners in thinking about how to improve the student experience, what their education should encompass, as well as participating in the research and the intellectual life of the University.”
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