After serving as Yale’s president for a decade, Peter Salovey announced Thursday he will leave his job leading the New Haven-based university.
Salovey plans to step down at the end of this school year and return to the Yale faculty to resume teaching and research projects.
That time has included the COVID-19 pandemic, a lawsuit from the Trump-era Justice Department accusing Yale of discriminating against white and Asian students in admissions, and a protracted decision to change the name of one of the school's residential colleges, which had previously honored U.S. Vice President John Calhoun, a supporter of slavery.
“I am reminded of a set of aspirations articulated on my very first day as president-designate: Yale should be more accessible, more innovative, more unified, and even more excellent,” Salovey said in a statement. “Observing the university today, I believe we have advanced significantly in pursuit of these goals.”
Salovey, who became president in 2013, said the university has made “meaningful strides to be even more preeminent in teaching and research, in addressing pressing global challenges, and in preparing the next generation to serve and lead worldwide.”
Julian Suh-Toma, president of Yale’s student government, said he hopes the University will appoint students to the presidential search committee, which it does for the advisor committees that help select college deans.
“I think there have been plenty of decisions that were made [under President Salovey] that were really impactful and beneficial to Yale,” Suh-Toma said. “At the same time, when it comes to thinking about how [the decisions made by] the president’s office and other administrations affect students, we’re hoping to see a little more student input and a little bit more transparency.”
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said Salovey “has been a strong and committed partner to the City of New Haven.”
Under Salovey’s leadership, Elicker said in a statement, “Yale has increased its commitment to and investments in the Elm City — with the university nearly doubling its annual voluntary contribution to the city in 2021.”
Yale has also worked to create jobs and drive economic growth in ways that benefit all New Haven residents, Elicker said.
Salovey said he plans to step down on June 30, 2024. If needed, he said, he will extend his time as president to finalize a successor.
Connecticut Public's Patrick Skahill and Kay Perkins contributed to this report.
