April 28, 2025
We are a university in motion, always striving to improve ourselves and deepen our impact. That’s why over the course of this year, and after a listening tour that included more than 100 meetings with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I have begun to set a direction in five areas that emerged from these conversations to shape Yale’s future.
First, we must continue to maintain and bolster Yale’s world-renowned reputation for academic excellence. We have been guided by a set of university initiatives for the past decade to further strengthen our programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. We have also prioritized renovating existing buildings and constructing new facilities to better support students and faculty across departments. The progress is clear, and every academic area and part of campus has contributed to it.
Preserving and bolstering Yale’s undergraduate experience is central to Yale’s core mission. As Provost Scott Strobel and Dean Pericles Lewis have announced, we will offer the opportunity for more students to experience a Yale education by increasing the size of the Yale College class beginning this fall. Pericles is also working with faculty and staff to advance other aspects of Yale College’s strategic plan. We’re growing our community as we strengthen it, increasing support and resources for students, and offering new courses that speak to the most pressing issues in our complex world.
Of course, realizing our aspirations will require strong infrastructure, skilled expertise, and seamless execution. That’s what makes the role of senior vice president for operations so vital. For nearly a decade, Jack Callahan, who announced his plans to retire this year, set the standard with his exceptional leadership and unwavering devotion to Yale. Filling Jack’s shoes is no easy task, but we will rely on his guidance and experience as we continue the search for his successor.
I hope to build on Jack’s legacy, especially his focus on Yale’s partnership with the New Haven community. I have been meeting with the mayor and other leaders to discuss new opportunities to collaborate. I am especially excited to see the first cohort of fellows in the Yale Teaching Fellowship initiative, launched in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University, the New Haven Public School System, and the New Haven Promise program. This initiative, which begins next month, will bring up to 100 high-quality teachers from different backgrounds to New Haven Public Schools. Meanwhile, Yale and the University of Connecticut are building a quantum corridor, which will position our state as an economic and innovation powerhouse for quantum technologies.
Finally, at a time of declining confidence in higher education, I have convened the Committee on Trust in Higher Education to better understand what has driven a loss of faith in colleges and universities, and how we can restore that confidence and enhance the open exchange of ideas on campus. I am grateful to the members of the committee for their time and effort; their charge is urgent, and their conclusions will inform how we move forward together.
I look forward to working with the university community to build on our progress and to continue the conversation about shaping Yale’s future.
Best wishes,
Maurie McInnis
President
Professor of the History of Art