Northwestern graduation events set for 2026
October 28, 2025
Interim President Henry S. Bienen welcomed newly appointed Provost Erik Luijten and outlined many of the difficult decisions the University has made to enable Northwestern to continue its upward trajectory during dual State of the University addresses held on Jan. 8.
Hosted by the NU Staff Advisory Council (NUSAC), Bienen spoke for about 30 minutes and fielded questions from staff during presentations on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Hundreds of staff turned out for the events, during which Bienen talked about federal funding for research and more.
“This is one of the greatest research and teaching universities in the world, that’s what we are,” said Bienen, who served as Northwestern’s president from 1995 to 2009 and resumed the role in August on an interim basis. “And we always build on the successes of previous years, that’s what great universities do.”
Universities are among the greatest institutions of American life.”
Interim president
During his opening remarks, Bienen spoke about the November agreement with the federal government, which reinstated the flow of federal research funding.
Staff also submitted several questions regarding federal research funding, and Bienen acknowledged that striking an agreement was key to his interim tenure.
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best deal we could get,” he said. “It was important to do this deal as long as we preserved our autonomy, and we did. It’s important for the University to move forward.”
Bienen said the University has already received about $310 million in federal funding that had been frozen. He expects most of the remaining money due to Northwestern — roughly $40 million — to be returned soon.
Bienen also highlighted the University’s record-high number of undergraduate applications as well as Professor Joel Mokyr’s 2025 Nobel Prize in economics as proof of Northwestern’s resiliency and relevancy.
“Universities are among the greatest institutions of American life,” he said. “This is where progress will come from as much as anywhere, and I don't just mean science and technology. I mean the performing arts, a rethinking of history, a rethinking of the classics. This is what the universities are about.”
The agreement, and the selection of the University’s next provost were top priorities to ensure the University can move forward as an autonomous teaching and research university as it searches for its next president, Bienen said.
