MEMORANDUM
July 20, 2007
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Campus Community
Gary M. Abramson, Chairman, Board of Trustees
AU's New President
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to
formally announce that the 14th permanent president of American University will be Dr.
Cornelius M. Kerwin, who, in addition to successfully guiding American University as interim
president for the past two years, has been a member of this university community for almost
four decades—as provost, dean, teacher, scholar, student, alumnus, and AU parent. He was
elected by unanimous vote.
Through the years, he has played a major role in AU's significant trajectory of achievement as
the university has reached new levels of academic excellence, financial stability, facilities
improvements, student and faculty quality, and international prominence. Dr. Kerwin is a
proven leader and a man of integrity who is active and visible on campus and enjoys the daily
interactions with students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and university friends. Building
upon AU's achievements of recent years, Dr. Kerwin also understands this university's
potential to reach even higher and claim a position in the top tier of American private higher
education.
In August 2005, he was asked by the Board of Trustees to serve as acting and then interim
president during a time of institutional transition, and Dr. Kerwin helped the campus move
forward with stability and renewed confidence. Prior to becoming interim president, Dr.
Kerwin was provost from 1997 to 2005; dean of the School of Public Affairs from 1988 to
1997; and assistant professor, associate professor, then full professor in the School of Public
Affairs (and its predecessor, the School of Government and Public Administration). Having
earned a BA from American University in 1971, Dr. Kerwin received an MA from the
University of Rhode Island in 1973 and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1978, all in
political science. Through the years and his academic leadership positions, he also has
maintained a strong commitment to teaching and research and is a nationally known public
policy scholar.
A Web site has been created www.american.edu/president/new that includes information on
AU's 14th president. We will continue to update that site with additional information for the
campus community and university friends.
The appointment concludes a national search that began last year, assisted by a search firm
and led by a 15-person search committee that included trustees, faculty, students, staff,
academic leaders, and alumni members. The committee received more than 160 nominations
or expressions of interest and reviewed more than 100 applications. I appreciate the
significant investment of time, attention, and perspective of the committee members and
constituencies involved in the search, all of whom demonstrated their devotion to American
University and its future.
In closing, I thank the entire American University community of students, faculty, staff,
alumni, trustees, and friends for your dedication and commitment. We are an academic
community that is thriving, with governance structures hailed as a model for higher
education, and with a new permanent president. Details will be forthcoming regarding
inaugural events and other public activities to enable you to meet with President Kerwin and
to congratulate him on his appointment.