Harvard University names new president
Harvard University’s new president is a Michigan-born economist and attorney who led neighboring Tufts University for a decade.
Harvard on Sunday said Lawrence S. Bacow will succeed Drew Gilpin Faust, who is expected to retire in June after 11 years in the post. Faust, the university’s 28th president, is also its first woman president.
The 66-year-old Bacow, who is originally from Pontiac, Mich., led Tufts from 2001 to 2011.
An expert in environmental policy, he is credited with strengthening Tufts’ graduate research and its undergraduate programs and encouraging collaboration between Tufts’ eight schools and with the surrounding community, The Boston Globe reported. He also oversaw a fundraising campaign that netted $1.2 billion.
“We wanted someone who could hit the ground running, because neither we nor higher education have time to spare,” Harvard’s William F. Lee said. Lee chaired the presidential search committee, and Bacow himself was a member.
After the announcement, former Harvard President Lawrence Summers tweeted: “Bacow brings proven dynamism and demonstrated success in driving innovation,” he said. “He has the right track record of commitment to student life, opportunity, life sciences and technology, and the pursuit of excellence.”
A graduate of MIT, Bacow served as its one-time chancellor and taught there for 24 years. He also taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a leader-in-residence at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he earned his doctorate degree.
In all, Bacow earned three degrees from Harvard: a J.D. and M.P.P. in 1976, and a Ph.D. in public policy in 1978, the university said Sunday.
Bacow is the son of immigrant parents, his father a refugee from the pogroms of Eastern Europe and his mother a survivor of Auschwitz.
Speaking at the university on Sunday, Bacow said, “The Harvard I have known has always stood for at least three things: the pursuit of truth, an unwavering commitment to excellence, and opportunity. In a nation divided, these guiding ideals have never been more important.”
Source:- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/11/harvard-university-names-new-president/327729002/
