Earlier today, Wagner College Provost Lily D. McNair was named as the next president of Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. See the announcement on the Tuskegee website.
Dr. McNair will be the eighth president of Tuskegee, and the first female president of the university founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington.
Dr. McNair will begin her presidency at Tuskegee University on July 1.
Wagner College President Richard Guarasci announced Dr. McNair’s selection to the campus community early this afternoon.
“Please join me in congratulating Lily for her selection,” Dr. Guarasci said, “as well as for the intelligence, professionalism and grace that she has maintained throughout her 7 years as provost at Wagner College. During her time with us, Lily has led the development of our new general education requirements, our diversity and inclusion initiative with our academic departments and, along with Curtis Wright, our student diversity dialogue dinners. … We will miss her generosity and thoughtfulness at Wagner, and her many unique contributions to our campus and local communities.”
Dr. McNair is a member of the boards of the John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School and Staten Island Academy.
Since President Guarasci announced earlier this year that he plans to retire in June 2019, the college will not begin a search for a new provost until its new president takes office. In the meantime, Vice Provost Jeffrey Kraus has been asked to serve as provost and vice president for academic affairs until July 2019.