Tufts, NYU Name Harvard Alums New Presidents

Harvard graduates have been chosen to become the next presidents of Tufts and New York universities.

The chancellor of MIT, Lawrence S. Bacow, has been picked to lead Tufts, and the dean of NYU law school, John E. Sexton, has been appointed the head of that institution.

Bacow will become the 12th president of Tufts in August. Members of the Tufts selection committee praised his scholarship and exceptional teaching ability.

“Larry’s first-rate credentials as a scholar, educator and administrator enable him to bring a wealth of experience to Tufts,” said Nathan Gantcher, chair of Tuft’s Board of Trustees, in a statement.

“Larry is deeply committed to both teaching and research,” Gantcher said.

“At the same time, he’s an innovative leader with a global perspective,” he said.

A professor of environmental studies at MIT, Bacow has been chancellor there for three years.

In a statement, MIT President Charles M. Vest said Bacow “will be an outstanding university president.” He credited Bacow with numerous achievements, including “an enhanced learning environment, design of a new vision for our residential system, new rigor to campus space planning and major institutional partnerships with universities and industry worldwide.”

Bacow holds three degrees from Harvard—a J.D., an M.P.P, and a Ph.D in Public Policy.

Sexton, a Supreme Court and First Amendment Scholar, will become the 15th president of NYU in May 2002.

Praised for his achievements at the law school, Sexton is credited with recruiting top legal minds to join the faculty, expanding the role of technology in the classroom and wide fundraising successes.

Martin Lipton, chair of NYU’s board of trustees, said in a statement that Sexton was the obvious choice.

“Throughout our consultations, both internal and external, a recurrent theme emerged: a universal recognition of and unswerving confidence in John’s excellence as a candidate for this post. His reputation as a scholar, his manifest love of teaching, his knowledge of the special history and attributes of this institution, his outstanding management skills, and his focus on the building of academic communities marked by genuine intellectual exchange between students and faculty make him an ideal choice,” he said.

Sexton said that NYU is at a pivotal point in its history.

“As proud as we can be of what has occurred over the last 20 years, we are on the brink of a major breakthrough. There now exists the possibility of creating a ‘category change’ in this University and the way it is perceived. This possibility exists precisely when such forces as globalization and technology are transforming universities and the societies of which they are a part,” he said in a statement.

Sexton said that he had always dreamed of becoming the President of NYU.

“To have one assignment that is the realization of your dreams is a rare occurrence; to be offered a second is truly humbling,” he said.

Sexton is a 1979 graduate of Harvard Law School.

Sexton arrived at NYU in 1981, received tenure three years later, and, in 1988, was appointed Dean of the Law School.

—Staff Writer Andrew J. Miller can be reached at amiller@fas.harvard.edu.