Manhattanville Announces Interim President

Manhattanville College has appointed a new interim president.

The school's board of trustees announced Tuesday that it has appointed Dr. Jon Calvert Strauss as interim president as the search continues for a permanent replacement for Dr. Molly Easo Smith. Smith in early June after two years as the school's president.

Strauss will officially move into the position on July 18.

“We are delighted that Dr. Strauss will join the Manhattanville College community. He is a seasoned, dynamic, higher education leader with a strong commitment to academic excellence, who will build upon the success of the college’s initiatives,” said Robert Hall, who had served as the school's acting president since Smith's resignation.

Hall added that Strauss will be responsible for all aspects of the campus and administration while the search continues for a permanent president.

Previously Strauss had served in an interim leadership position at Texas Tech University and served as president at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Bainbridge Graduate Institute and Harvey Mudd College, according to a school-issued press release.

He has also served in leaderships in other schools across the country before coming to Manhattanville.

“My wife, Jean, and I are looking forward to joining the Manhattanville College and Westchester County communities, and we are committed to further strengthening the many ties for the mutual benefit of both,” Strauss said in a press release. “We have lived and worked all over this great nation, and nowhere have we seen greater excitement and future potential. We are anxious to become active participants in these dynamic environments."

Strauss received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Systems and Communications Sciences) from Carnegie Institute of Technology, a M.S. in physics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. 

He also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Massachusetts. 

The school did not disclose a timetable for when a permanent president will be named.