Jonathan Holloway will take on a new role following his June 30 departure as Rutgers University‘s 21st president.
The Henry Luce Foundation board of directors named Holloway as its seventh president and CEO April 4. He is slated to start Oct. 1.
As NJBIZ has reported, Holloway announced last September his intention to step down from Rutgers this summer. He was then expected to take a 12-month sabbatical, getting reacquainted with his scholarship, before returning to Rutgers as a professor in July 2026.
However, the opportunity at the 89-year-old Henry Luce Foundation was too enticing to pass up. Holloway said he recognized a special opportunity at the nonprofit to develop new skills and content knowledge in the arts, religion, technology and culture, while continuing his commitment to support civic engagement in the public sphere.
Time Inc. cofounder and Editor Henry Luce established the independent foundation in 1936. Since, it has issued more than $1 billion in grants. The Henry Luce Foundation also offers leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion, theology, art and public policy.
Holloway will relinquish the remaining months of his sabbatical and leave his dual position as distinguished professor and university professor.
“I am honored to join the Henry Luce Foundation after I complete my tenure at Rutgers and to build upon its decades of remarkable work to foster discussion across differences, improve public discourse, and nurture ideas that will strengthen communities,” said Holloway. “At this challenging time in our nation, the Luce Foundation’s efforts are more imperative than ever.”
Next steps
“Dr. Holloway is an eminent historian, a respected scholar of the humanities, a public intellectual, and an influential leader in higher education,” Debra Knopman and Terry Adamson, co-chairs of the Foundation’s board of directors, said in a joint statement. “His thoughtful approach to collaboration and a firm commitment to the Foundation’s long-term view of impact from its grantmaking position him well to lead the Foundation into the future.”
More changes in leadership
The former president of Saint Peter’s University took on the role of interim president of Georgian Court University earlier this year. Read more here.
In November, the Rutgers University board of governors announced a Presidential Search Committee. The group is tasked with selecting final candidates to succeed Holloway.
Chair of the Rutgers Board of Governors Amy Towers co-chairs the Presidential Search Committee along with and Alberto Cuitiño, dean of the School of Engineering. The pair is working with WittKieffer, the executive search firm retained by the board of governors to lead the nationwide search.
The board of governors aims to complete the search, interview candidates and make its selection with the successor ready to start by July 1, 2025.
“We appreciate Dr. Holloway’s service to Rutgers and wish him well as he prepares for this next chapter to further advance the common good around the world,” said Towers. “Our priority now is to ensure a smooth and successful handoff as we look ahead to the university’s future. On behalf of the Board of Governors, I look forward to working with Dr. Holloway during the next three months to ensure a successful presidential transition at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.”
Watch Now & Read the full text of the 2024 Rutgers University Stakeholder Address