The New School in New York City announced on Thursday that Donna E. Shalala, the University of Miami’s former president and professor emeritus, has been named interim president of the private research university in Manhattan.
Shalala will begin her new role on Aug. 15.
“A nationally recognized leader in higher education and government, Dr. Shalala is superbly qualified to preserve and promote The New School’s historic legacy and distinctive combination of academic excellence and social values. She will also be a leader and collaborator in laying important groundwork for our next permanent President,” Linda E. Rappaport, chair of The New School’s Board of Trustees, said in her message to The New School community.
Shalala, who served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration, was president of the University of Miami from 2001 to 2015. Previously, she was the president of Hunter College and also served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shalala was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.
“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to join this extraordinary institution,” Shalala said in The New School announcement. “The New School has a unique and distinguished role in American higher education, developing students who will have an impact on the world and boldly address the most pressing social issues of our time. I am excited to join the university and look forward to what we will accomplish together.”
