Dear Members of the Gettysburg College community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee (PSC), we are proud to announce Robert W. Iuliano as the 15th President of Gettysburg College.
This is certainly an exciting time in our College’s history, and we are confident that the foundation laid by this extensive process—involving input and deliberation from a wide range of constituents and stakeholders, including those of our campus community—allowed us to choose the best leader for Gettysburg College and our future.
Following an extensive national search, our Board unanimously selected Mr. Iuliano from a diverse and impressive pool of candidates. He will assume his duties as President on July 1, 2019.
Mr. Iuliano has dedicated nearly his entire professional life to higher education, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Deputy to the President at Harvard University, and as a lecturer at Harvard College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A champion of the liberal arts, Mr. Iuliano has proven to possess the passion, knowledge, and strategic vision necessary to advance Gettysburg College and further build upon our distinguished reputation across the nation and around the world.
Recognized broadly at Harvard as a leader of the highest integrity, Mr. Iuliano has helped to define and advance Harvard’s institutional priorities. For more than two decades, he has been deeply involved in issues fundamental to higher education leadership, including admissions, student life, athletics, governance, finance, and philanthropy.
Coupled with his years of undergraduate and graduate teaching and his love for and interest in the classroom experience, Mr. Iuliano has been deeply engaged in Harvard’s approach to online and related forms of learning, including the formation of edX with MIT, and its Harvard-based sibling, HarvardX. In addition, he was instrumental in initiating governance changes enhancing the educational, research, and academic mission of Harvard, which represented the first changes to Harvard’s senior board since its formation by charter in 1650.
During his tenure, Mr. Iuliano developed an intricate understanding of Harvard’s financial infrastructure, collaborating with university leadership on issues such as tuition, financial aid, endowment distribution, debt and liquidity, while directly managing a considerable annual budget. Likewise, he participated in the university’s fundraising efforts, partnering with Harvard’s development team to consider philanthropic opportunities and strategies, engage donors on gift negotiations and stewardship issues, and provide counsel for Harvard’s now-completed capital campaign.
A trusted voice on critical matters facing the university, Mr. Iuliano has exhibited an unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout his career. At Harvard, he was responsible for articulating the university’s position on student body diversity and its admissions processes—a topic that has gained national attention. He partnered with Harvard President Emerita Drew Gilpin Faust to charge and compose a university-wide committee on belonging and inclusion. Similarly, in 2015, he helped convene a cross-disciplinary committee of tenured faculty that worked for over two academic years to restate and reaffirm the faculty’s commitment to student body diversity and its importance to Harvard’s pedagogy and mission.
Mr. Iuliano is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Given the success he has achieved and the truly stellar recommendations he has garnered, our Board is enthused to welcome Mr. Iuliano and his wife, Susan, to our Gettysburg College community. We believe strongly that Mr. Iuliano’s character, decision-making, and collaborative spirit will position our College for excellence in the years ahead, and only amplify the great work and legacy of President Janet Morgan Riggs ’77.
We want to express our heartfelt thanks to the Presidential Search Committee, the impact of your efforts simply cannot be overstated. We would also like to thank as well the students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, parents, and friends who contributed their support and perspectives throughout this process.
Bob will join us on campus on February 8 and meet with key campus groups throughout the day. In the evening of February 8, we ask that you please join us for a campus community reception to welcome and honor our President-elect. A faculty and staff reception will be held at 4:00 p.m. and a student reception will be held at 8:00 p.m. Both events will take place in the CUB Ballroom. If you are unable to attend, please watch the formal speaking program via this livestream link scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m.
For more information about our President-elect and our presidential search process, please visit www.gettysburg.edu/president-elect.
With great pride,
David Brennan ’75, P’00
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Charlie Scott ’77, P’09, P’12
Chair of the Presidential Search Committee
Executive Vice Chair, Board of Trustees