History of the Office

Albert Gallatin founded the University in 1831, but he was never the President.  When the University was founded, then called the University of the City of New York, the top-ranking office was titled Chancellor.  Rev. James M. Mathews was inaugurated as the University's first Chancellor in 1832.  Early in his tenure, Chancellor Mathews made the decision to move the University north from its Lower Manhattan location to Washington Square.  He also proposed the initial plan for the establishment of a School of Law.  Succeeding Chancellor Mathews in 1839 was Theodore Frelinghuysen, who during his term established the School of Medicine.

In 1891, the University's sixth Chancellor, Henry M. MacCracken moved the undergraduate college to the Bronx's University Heights.  He also ordered the destruction of the original University Building on Washington Square East, hiring Arnold Zucker to design a new 10-story "Main Building," which today is called the Silver Center.  In 1896, under Chancellor MacCracken's administration, the University of the City of New York was renamed to New York University.

In 1956,  the Office of the President was created as the chief administrative post of the university, with the Office of the Chancellor retained as chief academic officer. Beginning with James Hester, the title of President has been used for the chief administrative officer.  In 1970, President Hester embarked on a mission to raise $222.5 million five years, the largest fundraising effort ever undertaken by the University, launching with the sale of the University Heights campus.  A new master plan was devised to revamp the Washington Square campus, including the construction of the Elmer H. Bobst Library.

President John Brademas, inaugurated in 1981, launched the Billion Dollar Campaign, a fund-raising plan to raise $1 billion by the year 2000.  The goal was reached five years early in 1995, under the administration of President L. Jay Oliva.

John Sexton, the current and fifteenth President of New York University, was installed in 2002.  During his administration, the University has been growing faster than ever, and his administration has the greatest achievement in its efforts to increase the University’s endowment. Under his leadership, New York University is underway to becoming a true Global Network University.