Hired
Sandeep Mazumder – Berry College (Ga.)
The Berry College Board of Trustees has tapped first-time president Sandeep Mazumder, dean of Baylor University’s business school, beginning in July. Mazumder is renowned for his expertise in strategy, fundraising and academic improvement, as well as his prowess in macroeconomics. He received his bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Cambridge.
Mazumder began his teaching career in 2009 at Wake Forest University and began heading its economics department in 2017, before leaving in 2021 for Baylor.
Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria – University of Arkansas System
The University of Arkansas System will have a new president by mid-January: Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria. An Air Force pilot with nearly 4,000 hours logged operating elite military aircraft, Silveria has commanded air operations across Afghanistan, Syria and 18 other nations. Retiring from the military in 2020, he has since served as the associate vice president and executive director of Texas A&M University and the Bush School of Government & Public Service.
Retiring
Carol Folt – University of Southern California
University of Southern California President Carol Folt will be stepping down to a faculty position at the end of the academic year despite being offered a one-year contract extension in the summer, NBC Los Angeles reports. She will have served as president for six years upon retirement.
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Folt, like many presidents over the past year, has been criticized for how she handled campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. The controversy crescendoed last spring commencement season after the university canceled its main stage ceremony, withdrew a number of high-powered guest speakers and barred its Muslim valedictorian from giving a speech, citing security concerns.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ranked USC at the bottom of their most recent campus free speech ranking.
Stepping down
Helene Gayle – Spelman College (Ga.)
Spelman College President Helene Gayle will not be returning to her position following a personal leave of absence she took last month. Roz Brewer will serve in the interim as the private women’s HBCU begins a new search. The college has not explained the departure, 11 Alive reports. Gayle had served as president since 2022.
Robert Jones – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Robert Jones announced his plans to resign as president of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at the end of the academic year, concluding a nine-year tenure. The university has offered him an unidentified position to stay at the university, AP News reports.
The first black chancellor in the university’s history, Jones helped increase enrollment by 26% and helped raise $2.7 billion in philanthropy. He also implemented an accessibility initiative granting four years of free tuition for state residents with family incomes less than $67,100.
