Cornell names new president

When Jeffrey Lehman graduated from Cornell University in 1977, he never imagined that he would be returning 26 years later as Cornell's 11th president. That's what he told the Cornell community last month as he officially accepted his new position at the school's helm. Lehman -- the current University of Michigan Law School dean -- is scheduled to take over for current President Hunter Rawlings III on July 1. He is the first alumnus to assume Cornell's presidency. "The reaction to his appointment has been very positive," Cornell News Service Director Linda Grace-Kobas said. "There was a lot of excitement about his being a Cornell alum." After stepping down from his administrative role, Rawlings will join Cornell's classics department as a full-time professor. He has served as president since 1995. Lehman was chosen from an initial nomination list of 500 names which was gradually narrowed down through an extensive selection process. The three final candidates were Lehman, a woman and a minority. Lehman is recognized as a strong advocate of racial diversity. At Michigan, he entered the national spotlight as a defendant of affirmative action in the case Grutter v. Bollinger, which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Edwin Morgens, the chair of the presidential search committee, told the Cornell Daily Sun in December that Lehman's commitment to diversity was an important motivating factor in his selection. Lehman also has long-standing ties to Cornell that go beyond his own alumnus status. His father graduated from Cornell in 1949, and his son Jacob is currently a freshman. Lehman will spend the next six months working with Rawlings to familiarize himself with the inner workings of the university. "I plan to work closely with Hunter and with all of you to prepare my return next summer, and I am excited to think of what we will all be able to accomplish together," Lehman said in his acceptance speech. While on campus to deliver his address, Lehman also met with student editors of the Cornell Daily Sun and student assembly representatives, according to Grace-Kobas. Cornell is just one of Penn's peers that has seen major changes in its administrations in recent years. In the last five years, six of the eight Ivy League schools have appointed new presidents. Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, was appointed in 2002. In 2001, Lawrence Summers, Shirley Tilghman and Ruth Simmons were elected presidents of Harvard, Princeton and Brown universities respectively. Yale President Richard Levin has had the longest tenure of any current Ivy League president. He took office in 1993. Penn President Judith Rodin is also a veteran president within the Ivy League. She has served at the University's helm since 1994.