Fenves Named New Chancellor at Emory

On May 27, the Emory University Board of Trustees announced that President Gregory L. Fenves will leave the presidency on Sept. 1 and assume the role of the university’s sixth chancellor.

Justice Leah Ward Sears, a graduate of Emory Law School with an impressive resume and upbeat personality, will assume the role of interim president.

As Fenves rounds five years as president amidst a “back drop of challenging moments,” notably the handling of post-Oct. 7 demonstrations and those involving the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, he was further newsworthy because of his faculty’s, student body’s, and the Emory College of Arts and Sciences’ unwillingness to support him, eventually signing a “no confidence” petition.

With an undergraduate Jewish student population estimated at 18 percent, the faculty number is likely larger, including 19 core faculty members across various departments. During the petition of “no confidence” against Fenves, this reporter was not able to get a Jewish faculty member to go on record in support of him.

In view of the rocky spots, tongues are wagging whether this indeed is a win-win for all parties, or if Fenves is gingerly being swept out of the way. The university press office would not allow direct comments from Fenves and issued this statement, “The interim president will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Emory. The chancellor will focus on strengthening relationships with key constituents, leading the university’s essential engagement with government agencies and officials, and fundraising efforts.”

Fenves, the son of a Holocaust survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald camps, was featured in the June 15, 2023, Atlanta Jewish Times edition in an exclusive, more casual and of- the-cuff “Lowdown” interview.

Sears, who is a partner at the law firm Smith Gambrell and Russell, was appointed to the Atlanta City Court in 1982 before becoming the first Black woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia. She was then appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Gov. Zell Miller where she served for more than a decade, including four years as chief justice.

The chancellor will focus on strengthening relationships with key constituents, leading the university’s essential engagement with government agencies and officials, and fundraising efforts.

Michael Morris, Atlanta Jewish Times owner and publisher, who holds an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School, shared, “Let’s reserve judgment to experience the possibility that Fenves and the best interests of Emory will both thrive in this new arrangement. After all, the chancellor position in itself is an oddity. Emory has not had one since 2012.”

Many universities do not even have a chancellor. In some cases, the chancellor is above the president like at The University of Texas, from where Fenves came, or New York’s SUNY system. In the Ivy Leagues, the chancellor and president do not operate as equals. Instead, they function at different levels: system vs. campus. Add in another most recent layer: Will the Trump administration view Emory’s academia and diversity programs as “too left leaning” and hold back research funding?

Emory’s operational leadership will reveal itself over time and as a permanent president is secured.