Dr. Nemat Shafik, the British-American economist who has been leading the London School of Economics as a Director, will be serving as the President of Columbia University from July 1st, 2023.
Having served as a deputy governor of the Bank of England, before taking over as the Director of the London School of Economics in 2017, Dr. Nemat, also known as Minouche, is named as the new president of Columbia University according to the university announcement made on Wednesday. Dr. Nemat’s selection is the first time a woman is selected as the president of Columbia University. This is the latest addition in the series of recent appointments of women in heading other top universities of George Washington University, Harvard, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, and M.I.T. respectively.
Universities are facing a pending Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, apart from several debates over free speech, college rankings, pay for teaching assistants, the high education cost structure, and various other issues. Succeeding Lee C. Bollinger in a tumultuous time in the educational sector, Dr. Nemat will be taking the charge as the president of Columbia University in July this year.
The board of trustees of Columbia University said in their letter to the Columbia people that it found a perfect candidate in Dr. Nemat Shafik, a “brilliant and able global leader, a community builder and a pre-eminent economist who understands the academy and the world beyond it.” Dr. Nemat, the Egypt-born economist, has also served as a deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund and a vice president at the World Bank.
