Pittsburgh has a knack lately for attracting Rhodes Scholars to serve as college presidents. Last year, Christopher Howard signed on to lead Robert Morris University. And just last week, Chatham University announced that David Finegold will become its 19th president in July. Both men toiled in Oxford in the early 1990s, earning doctorates in politics. They also both have Harvard degrees.
Mr. Finegold, 52, arrives with a distinguished academic career focused on the latest methods of education and organizational management. It’s an ideal fit for Chatham, an established institution that pushes the frontiers of higher education. Created as a women’s college in 1869, the school took the bold step of admitting men as undergraduates this academic year. That do-or-die move understandably disturbed many traditionalists but boosted Chatham’s enrollment and gave new life to the school, which remains committed to advancing the role of women in society.
Based in a sylvan Shadyside setting, Chatham became a university a decade ago, reflecting the growth of its co-ed graduate school programs with strength in the health sciences. It took a leap forward with a second campus in suburban Richland, dubbed Eden Hall, which is home to the Falk School of Sustainability.
Mr. Finegold inherits a position rightfully labeled a “hard act to follow.” Esther Barazzone, who has been president since 1992, revitalized Chatham with her indomitable drive and distinct vision. She hands off a Pittsburgh institution poised to continue to rise, along with the other universities that have helped propel Pittsburgh’s growth in the 21st century.
First Published: March 7, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
