Reflecting on the lasting impact of Provost Kathleen Hagerty

As Provost Kathleen Hagerty, steward of Northwestern’s academic enterprise for six years, prepares to step down from her role on June 30, colleagues and partners from across the University are lauding a groundbreaking leader whose impact will be felt by students, faculty and staff for generations.

“Everywhere you look, you see Kathleen’s imprint. She strengthened Northwestern in all the ways that are important for a major university — teaching, research, capital improvement,” Interim President and President Emeritus Henry Bienen said during one of several events organized by colleagues to honor Hagerty’s service. “It has been a privilege to work with her and observe how she operates. Kathleen puts strong views forward in a graceful way; she is persuasive, and throughout her tenure as provost, what she wanted for Northwestern was invariably a good thing.”

In recognition of Hagerty’s decades of service to Northwestern’s academic mission, a classroom will be named in her honor in the University’s newly renovated hub for social sciences and global studies at 2001 Sheridan Road (the former Donald P. Jacobs Center). The Board of Trustees also will commission a portrait of Hagerty to hang in that classroom, and the Kathleen Hagerty University Professorship will be established.

“As provost, Kathleen provided steady, thoughtful leadership through unprecedented circumstances, including the rapid transition to virtual learning and back to in-person operations over the course of the pandemic,” said Trustee Heather Baker ’92, who worked closely with Hagerty as chair of the Board’s Academic Affairs Committee. “Her focus was always clear: preserve academic quality, protect the core mission and support the people who make Northwestern what it is.”

Hagerty has been at the University for more than four decades, serving under three presidents. She will take a leave from Northwestern during the 2026–27 academic year before returning to her role as the First Chicago Professor of Finance at Kellogg. Erik Luijten will assume the role of provost on July 1.

“Serving as provost of this extraordinary university has been a true honor. I feel immense gratitude and respect for Northwestern’s deans and senior leadership, my faculty colleagues, the Board of Trustees, our amazing students and the staff members who work so hard every day to make Northwestern what it is,” Hagerty said. “I look forward to watching as the Office of the Provost and the University grow and evolve under new leadership. It’s such an exciting time for Northwestern.”

Over the course of her tenure, Hagerty hired key academic leaders, championed interdisciplinary collaboration, oversaw a range of capital improvement projects and, perhaps most importantly, helped navigate the University through unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the federal funding freeze.

Recognizing that interdisciplinary partnerships are both a core strength for Northwestern and essential for a university to thrive, Hagerty actively fostered partnerships across schools and shepherded large-scale cross-campus initiatives and capital improvements.

Not long after her appointment as provost, Hagerty became a key force in the planning of a reimagined Donald P. Jacobs Center, which will open in the fall as a hub for the social sciences, global studies, education and other endeavors, enabling scholars to address complex challenges and pursue innovation at the intersection of academic disciplines. Hagerty also sought to focus University-wide activity regarding AI and data science, helping establish the Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence to empower all Northwestern faculty and students to responsibly use and benefit from AI tools in their work.

Balancing students’ and faculty members’ needs and ensuring both groups thrive at every stage of their Northwestern careers is central to the role of a provost. The Office of the Provost oversees Northwestern’s 12 schools as well as the libraries and comprises more than 20 academic and administrative units that play a central role in advancing the University’s educational policies and academic priorities.

During her tenure, Hagerty hired five deans and multiple senior administrative leaders. She prioritized recruiting and supporting exceptional faculty and ensured they had the resources and autonomy they needed to excel.

Hagerty held an unwavering focus on the Northwestern experience for students, believing that academic community requires spaces and systems that support engagement and well-being. Her efforts led to improvements in programming, student support services and opportunities for real-world learning, ensuring that Northwestern graduates leave not only with strong academic foundations but also with practical skills and a spirit of open-mindedness.

“Kathleen is an authentic, empathetic leader who gets things done. She is calm, resourceful and a truth teller who always delivered even the most difficult news with care and comfort,” Vice President for Student Affairs Susan Davis said. “In this world, you need a leader who has your back, and Kathleen always does. I can’t think of a better role model for our students.”

Hagerty’s most significant impacts on students include her support of the establishment of the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement, including its co-curricular undergraduate program that partners with the Division of Student Affairs to cultivate tolerance and the ability to work collaboratively despite disagreement; the creation of the Office of FGLI Initiatives to facilitate policies that better support the University’s growing population of first-generation and low-income students; the opening of new pipelines for students from small towns and rural areas, leading to a 30% increase of this demographic at Northwestern; and launching the Northwestern Prison Education Program, the first of its kind at a top-10 university.

Since her announcement, Hagerty has worked closely with Provost-elect Luijten to ensure a smooth transition in academic leadership.

“I am deeply grateful to Kathleen, both for her decades of service to the University and for the way in which she has welcomed and guided me as her successor over the past few months,” Luijten said. “Her legacy will live on in the Office of the Provost and across the University.”

Quotes on Hagerty’s career and legacy

“A visionary academic leader understands that to be truly world-class, a university needs to identify great talent, push the boundaries of research and innovation and continuously look to the future. Kathleen has always acted on these principles.”

- Vicky Kalogera
Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and the NSF-Simons National AI Institute for the Sky 

“Northwestern is known for its interdisciplinary collaboration, but that does not happen by accident, and it is not always self-sustaining. Kathleen has an open communication style of leadership, but she was nevertheless diligent in cultivating forums where deans could work together and see real benefits from a collaborative model. Most importantly, she is intellectually curious and humble and took the time to really understand the perspectives, goals and strengths of the schools she led so that all members of our community could feel they had a voice. I will miss her partnership and cannot express fully my gratitude to her for leading Northwestern with integrity during the last several challenging years.”

- Adrian Randolph
Dean of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and professor of art history 

“Kathleen fostered a culture of service and shared purpose that inspired staff to maintain momentum and resilience through periods of significant change, both inside and beyond the University. She always took the time to recognize the important work that is often unseen.”

- Mearah Quinn-Brauner
Assistant provost for strategy and policy in the Office of the Provost

“Over the past six years in my role as dean of students, I have had a front-row seat to Kathleen’s leadership style. What I admire most is her consistent encouragement to ‘lead with the truth.’ She has guided the University through multiple challenges with integrity and grace.”

- Mona Dugo
Assistant vice president for wellness and dean of students

“When Kathleen was interim dean of Kellogg, she set the stage for me to be successful with so much selflessness and dedication. Generous is what Kathleen is — in addition to being highly respected in the finance profession as an incredible researcher and teacher. So many alumni have told me they still remember her class. Her impact has been amazing, and her commitment to the university is something to be admired.”

- Francesca Cornelli
Dean of the Kellogg School of Management

Gina Bazer is director of executive communications in the Office of the Provost.