Williams College leader takes Northwestern post
Morton O. Schapiro, president of Williams College, will become president of Northwestern University in September, both colleges announced yesterday.
"Twenty of my 30 years in academe have been spent at Williams, and I've loved virtually every minute," Schapiro wrote in an e-mail to Williams students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents. "The past nine as president have been the greatest honor and privilege of my professional life.
But with the completion of our comprehensive campaign this month and my strong feeling that institutions need new leadership every decade or so, I think the timing is right."
Williams, an elite liberal arts college in Williamstown, is wrapping up a fund-raising campaign that generated more than $400 million.
Schapiro, 55, is a specialist in higher education finance and affordability and was an economics professor and assistant provost at Williams from 1980 to 1991.
Before becoming president, he was dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California, where he previously had been professor and chairman of the economics department.
During Schapiro's presidency, Williams has reduced its average class size, completed several major building projects, and sharply expanded financial aid, including eliminating student loans from financial aid packages.
For students qualifying for financial aid, the median cost of attending Williams has decreased by more than a third during his tenure, the university said.
"By any measure, Williams is better positioned today because of initiatives he has expertly led," Greg Avis, chairman of the executive committee of the trustees at Williams, wrote in an accompanying letter.
PETER SCHWORM 