Inside the Current Issue

GC Welcomes Bill Kelly as President

President Bill Kelly

This summer, after 14 years under the watch of Frances Degen Horowitz, Provost Bill Kelly was chosen to be president of the Graduate Center.

Originally a scholar of American literature, Kelly came to the GC in 1986 and later was Executive Officer of the English Department before rising to provost.

According to a recent interview with 365 Fifth, the GC newsletter, Kelly is aware of the struggles ahead, but remains optimistic about the current trajectory of the GC. According to Kelly, recent successes include substantial hirings of some of the "most distinguished scholars in the world” and an extremely (if only relatively) successful fundraising initiative spearheaded by President Horowitz. He has expressed an interest in rethinking the perception the community has of the GC, including its public programs and academic offerings. To this end, he hopes to build the GC's MA and MS programs and to focus on developing new and more creative interdisciplinary approaches.

Kelly has also expressed an interest in tapping into the wider CUNY system more effectively to bring new professors at the colleges to CUNY's graduate students. Among his main goals he cites increasing tuition assistance for CUNY adjuncts and building better recruitment packages. The combination of these two initiatives are intended to allow students to focus on their studies and for the GC to be more competitive against the deeper pockets of elite institutions.

As provost, Kelly was always known as a strong advocate for GC students, and developed a reputation for his focus on the scholarly and educational foundations of the GC. The Advocate is encouraged by President Kelly's stated goals and welcomes him to his new position.