Liz Magill being escorted by students and members of the Penn community down Locust Walk after her confirmation as Penn's ninth president on March 4.
Credit: Sukhmani KaurPenn’s Board of Trustees has unanimously confirmed Liz Magill as the University's ninth president.
The longtime legal scholar and University of Virginia provost was confirmed during the Board of Trustees' Stated Meeting at The Inn at Penn on March 4. Following the meeting, trustees, students, deans from different schools, and members of the Penn community gathered for a procession down Locust Walk to celebrate her confirmation.
Magill described the event — which marked her first official appearance on Penn’s campus since she was nominated to serve as president — as extraordinary in an interview with Penn Today.
Magill was nominated on Jan. 13 to succeed former Penn President Amy Gutmann, who is currently serving as the United States ambassador to Germany. Until Magill officially begins her tenure on July 1, Interim President and former Provost Wendell Pritchett, who has led the University since former President Amy Gutmann's departure, will continue to serve in the role.
She will be the fourth woman to serve as Penn president.
Magill previously told The Daily Pennsylvanian in an interview following her nomination that she has enjoyed learning more about Penn, and had experiences that have “deepened [her] admiration and honestly [her] awe of the institution from its beginning.”
In her post-confirmation remarks at the Board of Trustees meeting, Magill praised the University's capacity as a leader in Philadelphia and beyond.
“Penn is chomping at the bits to create and disseminate knowledge across disciplines and professions and to share it with the world,” Magill said. “It is, I think, restless to expand the bounds of human possibility, and with great heart and open arms, Penn is always seeking to strengthen the community, the city, the nation and the world.”
She also made remarks about the aspirations she has for her presidency.
“The incomparable faculty, students, staff, leadership, alumni, and friends make this University’s momentum unstoppable. Together we are going to launch Penn to even greater heights,” Magill said
The alumnus of both Yale University and the UVA School of Law currently serves as executive vice president and provost at UVA. Magill was previously the 13th dean of Stanford Law School from 2012 to 2019, and she clerked for former United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from 1996 to 1997.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate