Bob Kerrey Resigns as President Emeritus

Former university president Bob Kerrey has resigned from his position as president emeritus of The New School. The news came on February 1, in a brief email from current New School President David Van Zandt.  

Reached for a comment, Kerrey would not specify why he resigned prior to the end of his contract, which was due to expire in 2016. He did, however, tell The New School Free Press that he plans to begin his work as the newly appointed Executive Chairman of The Minerva Institute for Research and Scholarship.

Kerrey’s resignation comes in the wake of a national controversy following the revelation that he continued to receive a $400,000 to $600,000 a year salary from the New School while simultaneously pursuing other career options and campaigning for the U.S. Senate in his home state of Nebraska. Kerrey lost that election in 2012 with only 41.8% of the vote.

Kerrey told the New York Times two weeks ago that his other endeavors, in particular his work with the Minerva Project, would not interfere with his responsibilities at The New School. A New School spokesman, however, said that the news of Kerrey’s alternative career plans came as a surprise.

Nidhi Srinivas, an associate professor at The New School for Public Engagement, said he feels that the administration is only hoping to gloss over its mistakes.

“At a time when the university is trying hard to manage its costs, it is especially galling that [the university was] offering Bob [Kerrey] such a high salary,” he wrote in an email to The Free Press. “It appears that the University now hopes that the controversy can be put to rest since Bob [Kerrey] is finally choosing to resign as President Emeritus,”

In recent months, many faculty members and students had taken offense to the fact that Kerrey remained on the payroll, and some had called for greater accountability from the administration.

During his nine-year presidency, Kerrey doubled the university’s endowment and substantially increased enrollment. However, he faced criticism from students and faculty alike for his management style and lack of transparency. In December 2008, Kerrey was the object of an unprecedented no-confidence vote from senior faculty members. Of the 77 professors who voted, only two opposed Kerrey’s dismissal, and one abstained.

In January 2011, he stepped down as president but in an unexpected and novel turn, he continued to serve in the newly created position of “President Emeritus.” In his new capacity, Kerrey was primarily responsible for fundraising for the new University Center under the oversight of his successor, President Van Zandt.

In his email to the university community, President Van Zandt wished his predecessor farewell, noting his long-lasting positive contributions to the school.

Sam Biederman, the associate director of university communications at The New School, added that Kerrey would continue to work as a consultant for the university throughout the duration of the academic year.