Drew University names next president

Dawn Furnas//February 8, 2023

Drew University’s board of trustees and presidential search committee announced Feb. 8 that Hilary Link will serve as the institution’s 15th president.

Link succeeds President Thomas Schwarz, who will step down in June after a three-year commitment, the board said. She takes the helm July 1.

Link most recently served as president of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., from 2019 to September 2022. Prior to that role, she was dean of Temple University Rome and vice provost at Barnard College of Columbia University. She began her career in higher education as director of scholar programs at New York University.

Hilary Link, Drew University’s 15th president – DREW UNIVERSITY

“We are delighted to have attracted a candidate who has spent decades in leadership roles at prominent institutions of higher education with such outstanding pedigrees and reputations,” Fredrick Fuest, chair of the search committee and vice chair of the board of trustees, said in a statement.

Fuest added that Link’s appointment followed a nine-month national search that included input from Drew trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the executive search firm Storbeck Search.

Link earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her master’s degree and doctorate in Italian language and literature at Yale University.

“We sought a bold visionary who is innovative, entrepreneurial, inspiring, and financially astute, and I am proud to say we found all that in Dr. Link,” Fuest said.

William Landis III, chair of the board of trustees, called Link “a natural fit” for Drew. He added that the board unanimously approved her appointment.

“I am extremely proud of the work President Schwarz has done over the last several years to put Drew in a position to appeal to another proven leader like Hilary,” Landis added.

The university said a more comprehensive introduction of Link to the Drew community is planned for the spring.

Located in Madison, Drew University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 students and has 136 full-time faculty members.