Northwestern Now sat down with President-elect Michael Schill for a video Q&A to discuss his background and passions, as well as some initial thoughts for Northwestern students, faculty, staff and alumni as he prepares to join the University.
Michael Schill will officially take the helm at Northwestern on Monday, Sept. 12, becoming the 17th president in the University’s 170-year history. Morton Schapiro, president since 2009, will become president emeritus.
Schill was president of the University of Oregon from 2015 until last week. He previously served as dean and Harry N. Wyatt Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, dean of the UCLA School of Law, chaired professor at New York University and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I am excited to arrive on campus, start meeting with people and become part of the Northwestern community,” Schill said. He was announced as president Aug. 11.
A first-generation college graduate, Schill earned degrees from Princeton University and the Yale Law School. His scholarship focuses on affordable housing, land use and race discrimination in the housing market.
As president of Oregon, he prioritized research, free speech and academic freedom, student success and access to higher education, and bringing together people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities, identities and viewpoints.
I intend to start by listening and learning this culture so that I can help make it a place where everyone feels they belong and has a part to play.”
President-elect Michael Schill
“I intend to start by listening and learning this culture so that I can help make it a place where everyone feels they belong and has a part to play,” Schill said.
“I am looking forward to President-elect Schill’s arrival at Northwestern and to beginning work with him,” said Peter Barris, incoming chair of the Board of Trustees. “I want to thank Morty again for more than 13 years of leadership that have enriched Northwestern in so many ways.”
Since taking office in 2009, Schapiro has led the University through one of its most transformative and sustained periods of growth. Undergraduate applications nearly doubled during his tenure, while the acceptance rate dropped from 27% to 7%. Representation from underrepresented student groups also doubled. Annual funding for sponsored research activity rose 86%, from $476.9 million to more than $900 million. And Northwestern climbed to a position among the top 10 universities in the country, with record-high rankings for many of its individual schools and departments.
“Mimi and I are eagerly looking forward to our next chapter as we return shortly to Southern California,” Schapiro said. “But Northwestern and Evanston have been a wonderful home for more than 13 years, and we leave behind cherished friends and memories. I have every confidence that this extraordinary community will continue togrow under Mike’s outstanding leadership.”
