Yale University President Peter Salovey announced Thursday that he will step down after the school year that just began. Salovey, 65, has been president of the Ivy League school since 2013.
Peter Salovey sits in the audience at Yale University in 2015-Image Source: The Washington Post
Under Salovey’s leadership, Yale has made significant progress in increasing its diversity and financial aid accessibility. The share of incoming freshmen with enough financial need to qualify for federal Pell grants doubled from 11% in his first year to 22% this year. The share of freshmen who are Black, Latino, or of Native origin climbed from 17% in 2013 to 25% in 2021.
However, a Supreme Court ruling in June that rejected race-conscious college admissions programs will pose a major challenge for Salovey and other higher education leaders who hope to sustain racial diversity on their campuses. Since the ruling, admissions practices that grant a “legacy” preference to the children of alumni have come under intense scrutiny because those practices tend to provide a disproportionate benefit to the White and wealthy. About 11% of Yale’s incoming freshmen have legacy ties.
Asked whether Yale is reconsidering legacy preferences, Salovey said in an interview: “We’re thinking hard about that question.” He said the university plans to discuss in more detail its response to the court ruling.
Salovey also pledged continued “aggressive” outreach to potential applicants of all backgrounds and to ensure Yale’s admissions program complies with the law.
In addition to his work on diversity and financial aid, Salovey also oversaw a period of significant growth at Yale. The university added hundreds of undergraduates for its largest expansion in decades. It enrolled about 6,600 undergraduates as of last fall.
Salovey’s announcement comes as three other Ivy League schools are in the midst of leadership transitions, with new presidents taking office this summer at Harvard and Columbia universities and Dartmouth College.
Josh Bekenstein, senior trustee of the Yale Corporation, said the governing board is launching a search for the next president and seeking input from the campus community on the direction of that process. Of Salovey, he said in a statement: “We respect his decision and applaud him for choosing a time for leadership transition when the university is in such a strong position financially, academically, and strategically.”
Additional Information:
- Salovey is a cognitive psychologist and the former dean of Yale College. He is the author of several books, including “The Secret Life of the Brain” and “Happier: Learn the Secrets to Lasting Joy and Well-Being.”
- Salovey is married to Marta Moret, a Spanish artist and writer. They have two children.
- Salovey’s successor will be the 24th president of Yale University.
