This story was updated on June 8, 2023 at 08:25 p.m.
Earlier today, The New School Board of Trustees Chair Linda E. Rappaport announced in a university-wide email that President Dwight A. McBride will step down as president of The New School. McBride, the ninth president of The New School, will officially finish his three-year tenure at the end of this summer.
In his own statement, sent later in the day, McBride said that he will take on the role of Geral Early Distinguished Professor and Senior Advisor to the Chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis.
McBride began his role as president of The New School in April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He presented the “Framework For Fearless Progress” in October 2021, which included four pillars that were intended to capture the potential and aspirations that he observed from the New School community.
McBride’s administration has been subject to criticism in the last year. In October 2022, members of The New School community marched to McBride’s townhouse to demand better treatment for part-time faculty, student workers and other staff. Many called for his resignation during The New School’s part-time faculty strike in November 2022. According to an article in The New York Times regarding The New School’s part-time faculty strike, frustrated parents threatened to file a lawsuit against TNS and some had called specifically for the resignation of McBride. Concerns were raised regarding McBride’s residence being a roughly $15 million worth townhouse owned by The New School and funded by tuition payers, in addition to his salary of $1,148,000 per year.
“Indeed, the past three years have brought into high relief some of the most complex and difficult issues facing The New School in its history.” McBride said in his statement. “As I’ve led through these successive challenges, I have been guided by our deeply held values, our strengths, and our vast potential as a truly distinctive university.”
According to the initial email from Rappaport, The New School Board of Trustees, as well as a Faculty Trustee and Staff Representative, have already begun their search for a new interim president for fall 2023.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that following the part-time faculty strike, frustrated parents filed a lawsuit against The New School. However, they only threatened to file a lawsuit. The story has been revised to reflect this change.