Oxford University Administrator Named Next NYU President
NYU has named its next president. Andrew Hamilton, Oxford University’s vice-chancellor, has been selected to succeed NYU President John Sexton, officials announced Wednesday.
Hamilton, who previously held positions at Yale and Princeton universities, will assume his duties at NYU in January 2016.
“I am delighted to be selected as NYU’s 16th president,” Hamilton said in a statement. “I have been a keen observer of NYU, its accomplishments, its trajectory, and its renowned president, John Sexton, for some time. It is difficult not to take notice of an institution that has proven itself again and again to be a game-changer in a field in which that is uncommon. So when the search began, I was very glad to be included, as I am honored now to have been named president of such a wonderful university. I am looking forward with great eagerness to working with NYU’s faculty, students, administrators, and staff, and to joining a university that is so manifestly energetic, innovative, and successful.”
Hamilton was selected from a pool of over 200 nominees during an eight-month search for NYU’s next president. He earned a unanimous recommendation from the selection committee’s 23 students, trustees, and faculty members. A noted scholar in the organic and biologic chemistry fields, Hamilton plans to teach and conduct research while acting as NYU’s president.
Sexton, who will leave his post as NYU president at the end of the 2015 calendar year, expressed satisfaction with his successor.
“I love NYU, and I could not be more thrilled with the selection of Andrew Hamilton,” Sexton said in a statement. “I know and admire him, and I am certain he will do great things for the University. For my own part, I have had no higher calling in my life than to be a teacher and to contribute to building strong institutions. For nearly 35 years, I have had the exceptional privilege of being able to do both those things at NYU. I want to thank the trustees, faculty, students, and administrators for permitting me to serve as their president and for doing so much to improve the university during my tenure.”
Hamilton has held his position at Oxford since 2009, but reportedly eyed presidencies at other U.S. universities. Earlier this month, he was reported to be one of the leading contenders for a presidency at the University of Texas.
“What focused us on Andrew Hamilton and set him apart from a formidable field of candidates was the unusual combination of his outstanding scholarship in his field, his record of achievement in leadership posts at top universities, his commitment to academic excellence and support for the faculty, his commitment to teaching and undergraduate education, his accomplishments in fundraising at Oxford, and his global background and outlook,” William Berkley, chair of the Search Committee and Chair-Designate of the Board of Trustees said in a statement.
“In short, the committee believed that Andrew Hamilton was the just the right person at this moment in NYU’s history to build on the University’s academic momentum and lead it to even greater achievements.”
Hamilton, 62, currently lives with his wife in Oxford. Their three adult children live in New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.