NYU announces Linda Mills as its next president, first female appointed to top job

New York University’s Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that it has appointed Linda G. Mills to be its next president. 

Mills, who will be the first female president when she assumes the position July 1, currently serves as NYU’s Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life, a position she has had held for more than a decade. She is also a professor of social work, public policy, and law.

She said that the new role represented an opportunity to learn more about NYU– which she has been serving for the past two decades—but with a fresh perspective. 

“One of the wonderful things about NYU is that, even after dedicating 24 years of my life to this extraordinary university, there is always more to discover,” Mills said. “I am eager to meet so many more of NYU’s remarkable people; I intend to step into this new role with fresh eyes, excited to see the university and all its possibilities through their unique perspectives.”

Mills also serves as the executive director of NYU’s Center on Violence and Recovery and the co-founder of NYU’s Of Many Institute for Multi-faith Leadership and NYU’s Production Lab. As NYU’s 17th president, Mills said she plans on zoning in areas such as research, affordability, diversity, and inclusion.  

“The university has been on this remarkable academic trajectory, so our focus is on how do we continue on that path that NYU has been on over these many years,” Mills said. “How do we build the best possible university in the world? That includes research, affordability, diversity, and inclusion.”

Before joining the NYU community, Mills was as a lecturer in the School of Law and assistant professor in the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research. Mills arrived to NYU in 1999 as an associate professor of social work and then stepped into Vice Provost and then Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and University Life. Since 2012, Mills has…