Garden Cityite Named LIU's First Female President

Long Island University has announced that Garden City resident Kimberly R. Cline will be the institution’s 10th president.

Dr. Cline, who currently serves as president of Mercy College, will succeed David J. Steinberg, who will retire this summer after 27 years as LIU’s chief executive.

When Dr. Cline assumes the presidency in July, she will be the first woman to hold the office in the University’s 87-year history.

“Kimberly Cline is uniquely qualified to advance our mission of access and excellence,” says Edward Travaglianti, chairman of LIU’s board of trustees. “Dr. Cline is a change agent with a proven record of success in complex, multicampus institutions. I have no doubt that she will build on David Steinberg’s legacy to bring the University to new heights and make a real difference in the lives of our students.”

Dr. Cline was identified through a six-month, nationwide search with assistance from a leading academic search firm, Witt/Kieffer.

“There is no institution quite like LIU,” says Dr. Cline. “There are great strengths and opportunities in the diversity of its campuses, students and academic programs. I look forward to capitalizing on the synergies between its urban and suburban campuses to increase the University-wide value proposition for the students, faculty and communities LIU serves.”

Her priorities for LIU include introducing strategic enrollment and retention models; increasing collaboration between the administration and faculty; building financial resources; raising its national profile; and leveraging the University’s prime locations to build strategic partnerships with industry and research institutions in the New York metropolitan area and beyond.

Dr. Cline comes to LIU with experience as a president of a multicampus institution, as a CFO of a university system and as a university attorney, bringing a rare trifecta of managerial, financial and legal expertise to her new role.

Known in higher education circles as a transformational leader, Dr. Cline was appointed president of Mercy College in 2008. Prior to assuming the presidency at Mercy, Dr. Cline served as vice chancellor and chief financial officer of the State University of New York. During this time, Dr. Cline also served on the executive board of SUNY's Faculty Senate. Before joining SUNY, Dr. Cline served as vice president for finance and administration at Seton Hall University and as university attorney, assistant treasurer and assistant vice president for business affairs at Hofstra University. 

Dr. Cline earned a B.S. in industrial relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to complete a Master of Business Administration, a Juris Doctor and a Doctor of Educational Administration at Hofstra University.

She and her husband, Peter Fishbein, who is a graduate of LIU Post, reside in Garden City with their three children.