The City University of New York named Dr. Nancy Cantor, a longtime higher education leader with CUNY roots, as the next president of Hunter College.
Cantor, who is currently serving as the chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark since 2014, will take office as Hunter’s 14th president this summer, after the CUNY Board of Trustees approved her appointment during its meeting on Tuesday.
“An iconic New York City institution like Hunter College requires a leader who is a champion of social mobility and an innovative thinker, someone ready to address ongoing challenges and embrace emerging opportunities on Day 1,” CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said.
“We have found this and more in Nancy Cantor.”
Cantor is no stranger to CUNY. Her mother graduated from Hunter in 1943, while her father is an alumnus of City College.
An award-winning social psychologist, Cantor began her career in higher education as a professor of psychology, and later chair of the department at Princeton University. She has also served in leadership positions at other institutions nationwide throughout her over 40-year career, including being the first woman to serve as chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Syracuse University and most recently Rutgers University-Newark.
Video Message from Incoming Hunter President Dr. Nancy Cantor
In a press release to the CUNY community, Cantor expressed her excitement about being Hunter’s next leader, an opportunity that will allow her to continue her family’s legacy.
“Hunter embodies all that I hope for — and all that I believe our moment requires of — higher education as a significant lever for social mobility and scholarship that reimagines our world to more genuinely and equitably spread opportunity, health, creative expression and civic empowerment,” Cantor said.
Among those to congratulate Cantor is Hunter’s interim president, Ann Kirschner.
“Over the next few months, I look forward to working closely with Dr. Cantor to ensure a seamless transition,” said Kirschner in an email to the Hunter community on Tuesday night.
“Together, we will collaborate to uphold Hunter College’s student-centered values while embracing new opportunities for growth and innovation.”
Kirschner stepped in as Hunter’s interim leader last July after former college president Jennifer Raab announced at the end of 2022 that she would be stepping down following 22 years of service. Raab, who began her tenure as the 13th president of Hunter College in 2001, is currently the longest-serving president in the university’s history.
Cantor officially begins her presidency at Hunter on Aug. 12.
“Perhaps most critically, I am eager to collaborate with communities across New York City to highlight how higher education can answer the call of what the public needs, now and going forward,” Cantor said.
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