Yale University President Peter Salovey announced Thursday that he will step down in June after an 11-year term, during which time he increased the university’s endowment. student enrollment and its racial, ethnic, and economic diversity;
This month at university announced The entering class was one of the largest ever, with 22 percent of students qualifying. They received federal Pell grants for low-income students, and 21 percent were the first in their families to attend college. Ten years ago, the number of first-generation students was 12 percent.This year, black students fake The class was 14 percent Latino, 18 percent Latino, 42 percent white, and 30 percent Asian American. (Some students specified more than one race, so the numbers do not add up to 100) Ethnicity. )
In Dr. Salovey’s final year as president, the elite university will face a new admissions landscape.
After the Supreme Court banned race-based admissions, in addition to the challenge of admitting a diverse class while adhering to the new ruling, there is also pressure to eliminate legacy admissions, the preferential treatment given to children of graduates. confronting. Yale has resisted eliminating the honor system, with about 11 percent of the Class of 2027 becoming a legacy.
Dr. Salovey said Thursday that he has asked the Office of Admissions to develop a plan that is expected to be announced later this year.
“The educational environment we have created at Yale has benefited enormously from the diversity of our student body in almost every dimension imaginable,” he said in an interview.
Dr. Salovey’s decision to relinquish his position as president is part of a generational change in leadership at many elite universities. Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT all have new presidents.
During Dr. Salovey’s presidency, Yale’s endowment doubled in size to more than $40 billion. An ongoing fundraising campaign has raised $5 billion toward the $7 billion goal.
Dr. Salovey, 65, an amateur bluegrass musician, is a distinguished professor of psychology and considered an expert in the study of emotional intelligence. He said he plans to return to teaching and writing full time.
Josh Bekenstein, the school’s senior director, said Thursday that the “bold vision” that Dr. Salovey articulated when he took office was “a more unified Yale University, a more accessible Yale University, a more innovative Yale University.” “University” was realized.
Bekenstein said he will lead a search committee whose members were identified Thursday to find a replacement for Dr. Salovey and plans to consult the Yale community for advice. Yale has never had a president of color, and its only female president, Hannah Gray, served as acting president for just one year.
When Dr. Salovey took the helm as Yale’s 23rd president in 2013, he was an excellent fit for the central figure model of an Ivy League president, first as a graduate student and then with the university for more than 30 years. Dean, Dean, President of Yale University.
After taking office, he vowed to improve school access.And in an interview Thursday, he said it was one of his major accomplishments.
“We have doubled the number of students who are the first in their families to attend college,” Dr. Salovey said, adding that this will expand the size of Yale by building two new boarding colleges and increase the number of undergraduates across the university. He pointed out that this was achieved by increasing the number of students enrolled by one person. Approximately 20%.
During his tenure, the university also increased financial aid so that parents with incomes under $75,000 are no longer required to contribute to their children’s undergraduate education. And Yale has increased financial aid in other programs. For example, the Geffen School of Drama, known for producing famous actors such as Meryl Streep and Angela Bassett, is now tuition-free.
While steering the university through the coronavirus pandemic, he expanded many graduate programs, particularly in science and engineering.
Like many universities over the past decade, Yale has faced many issues related to race during Dr. Salovey’s tenure.
Under his leadership, Yale eventually acquiesced to Calhoun College’s request to be renamed, although it initially resisted. The boarding college was named for former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun, who graduated in 1804 and championed slavery.
In the wake of this debate, Yale University developed guidelines for determining how to address problematic legacies of historical figures, which are now widely used. And like many other universities, Yale has come under scrutiny for its historical ties to slavery and the slave trade.
In 2020, Yale University filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration’s Justice Department of discriminating against Asian American and white students. The lawsuit was dropped after Trump left office.
Regarding his final year goals, Dr. Salovey said: I want to go for the win. ”
