The New School Board of Trustees announced today the appointment of David E. Van Zandt, dean and professor of law at the Northwestern University School of Law, as the eighth president of the university. The New School, which offers some of the nation's most respected degree programs in the humanities and social sciences, design, public administration, and the performing arts, has transformed in recent years into a major urban university that remains faithful to a history of civic engagement and democratic ideals.
Dr. Van Zandt will assume his new position as president of The New School on January 1, 2011. He succeeds the university's current president, Bob Kerrey, who will remain as New School president until the end of 2010 to ensure a seamless transition. Kerrey, who was appointed in 2001, led The New School during a period of unprecedented growth.
Dean Van Zandt:
At today's faculty meeting, I announced that I will be leaving Northwestern University to become the president of The New School in New York City. My last day will be December 31, 2010.
While Lisa and I are excited about this new opportunity, our feelings are bittersweet. To say that Northwestern has been wonderful to us over the last two decades is an understatement. We will sorely miss our colleagues and friends here at the law school, the University, and in Chicago.
Northwestern Provost Dan Linzer:
We greatly appreciate David's leadership at the law school during a time of dramatic change in the legal profession. Building upon a strategic plan implemented in 1998, he has led continual efforts to analyze the legal market to maximize our graduates' success. The resulting initiatives for students, along with the faculty focus on discipline-based research that furthers understanding of law and legal institutions, have set the law school apart. Under his leadership, Northwestern Law has innovated and kept up with big shifts in the law and business worlds and has been pathbreaking in the world of academic research in law, paving the way for David's successor.
Press and blogosphere coverage:
- Above the Law, Legal Education Loses a Warrior: Northwestern’s David van Zandt Leaves to Take Over The New School
- American Lawyer, Northwestern Law Dean David Van Zandt Named President of The New School
- Associated Press, Ill. Educator Named to NYC Post, Replaces Kerrey
- National Law Journal, Northwestern's Van Zandt to Lead The New School in New York
- New York Times, New School Selects as Leader a Dean From Northwestern
