Announcing a Leadership Transition
Sept. 25, 2024
Dear Brandeis Community,
As our university begins the shift to prepare for its next transformational chapter, President Ron Liebowitz has informed the board that he will step down after eight years of leading Brandeis University. In accepting his resignation, which is effective November 1, 2024, the Brandeis Board of Trustees appointed Ron president emeritus. This honor provides him with a platform to continue to advocate for Brandeis and its values.
We know many of you choose to study and work at Brandeis because of our commitment to academic excellence and the defined sense of purpose that guides our community. I assure you that the Board will collaborate with Ron, with Provost Fierke, and with the Faculty and administration to ensure that this transition is a smooth one for our community. We will continue to move forward with key initiatives, including planning for Brandeis’ newest residence hall, enhancing student life, and convening the Presidential Task Force on Free Expression.
Ron has been a champion for Brandeis, reaffirming the university’s commitment to excellence as a liberal arts and research-driven institution. He has continually reminded us that we are animated by Jewish values and identity, including a reverence for knowledge, a commitment to repairing the world, and openness to all. We are proud of the role President Liebowitz played over the past year in speaking out against antisemitism in our world and on college campuses. During his tenure, he led the reconnection of alumni with the university through the yearlong 75th anniversary celebrations across the country and abroad. The Board of Trustees, in partnership with all at this great university, remains unwavering and unequivocally committed to our core values.
Arthur E. Levine, Ph.D., a 1970 Brandeis graduate and a nationally respected higher education leader and scholar, will take office November 1 as interim president. Dr. Levine previously served as president of Teachers College at Columbia University and the former Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and has dedicated his career to leadership in higher education. He looks forward to meeting members of the Brandeis community in the coming weeks.
Since its founding, Brandeis has held a distinctive place in higher education as a research university dedicated to consequential scholarship. We are fortunate that you will help us carry this legacy forward.
Sincerely,
Lisa R. Kranc ’75
Chair of the Board of Trustees