Northwestern University Names Next President: Rebecca M. Blank

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern University has announced Rebecca M. Blank will take over as the school's 17th president next summer, officials said Monday.

Blank will be the first woman to lead Northwestern University when she takes the position in the summer of 2022.

Blank will succeed Morton Schapiro, who announced he would resign amidst protests of the school's police force. Schapiro told reporters his resignation was not due to the campus protests and had been scheduled long before.

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"I am honored and delighted to accept the job as Northwestern's next president," Blank said in a statement issued by the university. "Northwestern is a school that I have known and admired for years. Its reputation as a top-rated educational and research institution has grown each decade. It will be my mission to make sure the institution's reputation and quality continues to accelerate."

Blank was most recently the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had previously been an economics professor at Northwestern, according to the university. Blank became the economics department's first tenured female professor, according to a statement.

Schapiro was also a professor of economics. Last year, he came under fire after he criticized student protestors and accused them of being antisemitic after demonstrations where students called him "piggy Morty" while demanding the school police force be disbanded.

Schapiro has been president of Northwestern University since 2009.

In addition to her experience as chancellor, Blank has spoken on an international stage about her research in poverty and the low-income labor market.

"As part of our process, we heard from all segments of the University community," said Peter Barris, chair of the search committee and a vice chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "And I believe Chancellor Blank's deep experience and talents will support our current needs and position us for a promising future."