Dr. Gregory Fenves, former professor and chair of our Department, will become Emory University's 21st president on August 1. Fenves has served as president of The University of Texas (UT) at Austin since 2015, and during his tenure launched the Dell Medical School, increased support for middle- and low-income students, and defended the educational benefits of diversity in higher education before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fenves began his academic career as a professor in UT Austin's Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. He then joined UC Berkeley's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he was on faculty for more than 20 years and served as chair from 2002 to 2007. In 2008, Fenves returned to UT Austin to serve as dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, and then as university provost before he was named president.
As president of Emory University, Fenves will succeed Claire E. Sterk, who announced her retirement in November 2019 after serving as the university's president since 2016. Bob Goddard, chair of the Emory's Board of Trustees and the Presidential Selection Committee, says “we wanted someone with deep experience leading a major research university and a stellar record of scholarship. We also sought an inspirational leader and a person of impeccable character. Greg Fenves embodies all that we hoped to find."