Announcing the Next President of The New School
A Message from Linda E. Rappaport, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Dear Members of The New School Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee, it is my great pleasure to announce that Joel Towers, University Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design and the former Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design, has been appointed as the tenth President of The New School with unanimous support by the Presidential Search Committee. President-elect Towers will begin in this role on August 1, 2024. He succeeds Donna E. Shalala, who has guided our university as Interim President since August 2023, and Dwight A. McBride, who served as the ninth President of The New School from 2020 – 2023.
During his 20 years at The New School, President-elect Towers has prioritized excellence in teaching and learning, with a deep commitment to our students and a passion for the mission of The New School. He brings a track record of success in sound financial stewardship and consensus-building, as well as a clear understanding of both the complexities and possibilities for our storied and unique academic institution. In this pivotal moment for The New School and for higher education more broadly, Joel inspires enthusiasm for what our university can do as we build on our mission and many achievements. He has demonstrated the vision, experience and commitment required to lead us in realizing the ambitions and strengths of our university.
Joel’s deep knowledge of The New School comes from his experience as a faculty member, research center director, and executive dean. In all of these roles, he has been a leader for the university’s transdisciplinary potential to address complex, intersectional challenges such as climate change and environmental justice. He has served on multiple cross-university initiatives, governance groups, committees and task forces, including the University Faculty Senate and the expanded University Budget Committee. In 2019 he was appointed by the Mayor of New York City to Co-Chair the New York City Panel on Climate Change, the leading independent body mandated by local law to review the most current climate science and provide projections of record to guide the City’s policies and actions on climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience. Joel’s work expands The New School’s historical position as an active thought leader in critical issues facing our larger community.
He joined Parsons in 2004 as a member of the full-time faculty and the first Director of Sustainable Design and Urban Ecology. In 2006 he was named Associate Provost for Environmental Studies and founded The New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center. In 2009 he was appointed Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design, serving as the head of the college for a decade. Under his leadership, Parsons completed major curricular reforms, launched new graduate and undergraduate programs, and established the 26,000 sq. ft. cross-disciplinary Making Center. The college achieved its top ranking for art and design in the United States under Joel’s leadership, and he has been a tireless advocate for the role of the arts, design, creativity, and innovation across The New School. His deep commitment to the potential that resides at the heart of The New School—the intersection of the humanities, social sciences, art, design, and performance—has grounded his work through two decades and has contributed to the fundraising of millions of dollars for scholarship, research, and facilities.
Joel’s background is in architecture and sustainable design. He holds a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. Prior to joining The New School, he worked with William McDonough Architects, where he directed projects including The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability that helped codify that firm’s environmental thinking. In 1992, he co-founded Sislian Rothstein and Towers Architects (SR+T). Over 18 years, SR+T completed award winning projects and was a testing ground for the integration of research, scholarship, and creative practice.
Joel’s appointment is the successful result of an extensive search process that began last October. Dominique Bluhdorn served as the co-chair of the Committee, co-leading our efforts with extraordinary devotion, grace, and knowledge of The New School. Both she and I are deeply grateful to the members of the Presidential Search Committee, which included student, faculty, staff, administration, and trustee representation and whose names are listed below. Their commitment of time, rigor, judgment, and integrity to this important and intensive effort was exceptional.
I know l speak for all of the members of the Presidential Search Committee when I say we are grateful to every member of our New School community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, who offered invaluable insights—whether through the listening sessions, surveys or personal outreach—that gave significant guidance to our work.
Finally, in announcing this appointment, we also want to express our gratitude to Interim President Shalala for her leadership over the past year. She demonstrated deeply principled academic values and an abiding commitment to our students as she navigated a unique set of challenges and helped us become an even better university. She has pledged her support for President-elect Towers and her willingness to work with him as he prepares to assume the Presidency on August 1.
This Presidential transition occurs at a pivotal moment in our history, and I know I speak for the members of the Presidential Search Committee and the Board of Trustees in conveying our sense of excitement and optimism for The New School and its future under President-elect Joel Towers. We hope you will join us in congratulating him and welcoming him in this new role for which he is so ideally suited.
Sincerely,
Linda E. Rappaport
Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee
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Search Committee Members
‌Linda E. Rappaport, Co-Chair
Chair of the Board of Trustees and Member of the Board of Governors for the College of Performing Arts
‌Dominique Bluhdorn, Co-Chair
Trustee, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors for Parsons School of Design and Member of the Advisory Board for Parsons Paris
‌Zed Adams‌
Associate Professor of Philosophy, The New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College and Member of the University Faculty Senate
‌Ben Allison
Part-time Lecturer, College of Performing Arts and Co-Chair of the University Faculty Senate
Franci J. Blassberg
Trustee
Steven H. Bloom
Trustee and Member of the Board of Governors for the College of Performing Arts
Christopher J. Castano
Trustee and Chair of the Board of Governors for the Schools of Public Engagement
‌Mike Harrington, MS Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management ’18
‌Sustainability Engagement Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center, Member of the University Staff Senate, and PhD Student, Public and Urban Policy, Schools of Public Engagement
‌Julie Kim, BM Orchestral Instruments (Cello) ’20
Graduate Student, MM Performer-Composer, College of Performing Arts
Jane McNamara
Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives and Civic Partnerships, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
‌David Poma, MA Economics ’02
Trustee and Member of the Board of Governors for The New School for Social Research
Timothy L. Porter
Trustee and Member of the Board of Governors for the College of Performing Arts
‌Ahana Sharma
Undergraduate Student, BFA Integrated Design, Parsons, and Chair of the University Student Senate
Lilian Shiao-Yen Wu
Trustee and Member of the Board of Governors for the Schools of Public Engagement
Lucille Tenazas
Henry Wolf Professor of Communication Design, Parsons School of Design
‌Kay Unger, Fashion Design ’68
Trustee and Member of the Board of Governors for Parsons School of Design and Advisory Board for Parsons Paris