Northwestern selects Oregon's Schill to be next president

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — University of Oregon President Michael Schill will assume that office at Northwestern University this fall, the Evanston school's board of trustees announced Thursday.

Schill has led Oregon since 2015. He previously served as the law school dean at the University of Chicago and at UCLA. He earned a degree in public policy from Princeton University and a juris doctor degree from the Yale Law School.

"I am thrilled, honored and humbled to join Northwestern, one of the world’s most prominent universities,” Schill said in a news release. “Northwestern has a long tradition of educating the brightest minds and pushing the boundaries of research and innovation.”

Schill said he looked forward as the school's 17th president to building Northwestern’s standing as an innovation hub for the Chicago area, Illinois and the nation.

His selection comes 16 months after Northwestern President Morton Schapiro announced his retirement after more than a decade leading the university. Rebecca Blank was named Schapiro’s successor last October, but she announced last month that she was diagnosed with cancer and would be unable to become president.

Peter Barris, the incoming chair of the Northwestern trustees. chaired the presidential search committee.

The selection of Schill "was informed by his deep commitment to research and academic rigor, his focus on student access and success, his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and demonstrated administrative leadership,” Barris said in the news release.

Law professor Jide Nzelibe was a faculty representative on the search committee.

“Schill completely immerses himself in his environment, prioritizing faculty and academic excellence, as well as student quality and accessibility across all backgrounds," Nzelibe said. "He is a president who will go above and beyond what is expected.”

Schill’s research has focused on affordable housing, land use and race discrimination in the housing market.