Yale Names Maurie McInnis as First Female President, Stirring Campus Reactions

Yale University has made history by appointing its first female president, Maurie McInnis, following the retirement of long-time President Peter Salovey. McInnis, currently serving as the president of Stony Brook University in Long Island, is set to become the 24th president of Yale starting July 1.

The announcement came after unanimous approval by Yale’s Board of Trustees, where senior trustee Josh Bekenstein praised McInnis’s accomplishments and commitment to higher education over her three-decade career in the field.

McInnis, who holds advanced degrees from Yale itself and has a background in art history focusing on the antebellum South, has prior leadership experience at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia. She has been an active member of the New York City Climate Exchange and has contributed significantly to climate change initiatives.

Stony Brook University, where McInnis currently serves as president, is a part of the public State University of New York system. During her tenure, McInnis has overseen significant growth for the institution, securing crucial funding from the Simons Foundation and navigating the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The appointment of McInnis as Yale’s president has stirred reactions on both campuses, with students and faculty voicing both support and concern. McInnis’s appointment marks a milestone for Yale, a prestigious Ivy League institution founded in 1701 and boasting a substantial endowment and international student body.

Yale has a history of influential leaders, with only one other female president, Hanna Holborn Gray, serving in an acting capacity in the late 1970s. Alongside McInnis’s presidency, Yale will continue to uphold its academic standards and mission of fostering innovation and excellence.

Key figures such as Jacqueline Goldsby, a prominent professor at Yale specializing in African American studies, have expressed enthusiasm for McInnis’s academic background and scholarship, particularly her work on antebellum visual culture. The Yale community eagerly anticipates the insights and direction McInnis will bring to the university in her new role.