Arthur Levine officially installed as president of Brandeis University

Brandeis Stories

Arthur Levine officially installed as president of Brandeis University

Brandeis alumnus and higher education scholar will lead the university through 2027.

By Steven Foskett
Photography by Gaelen Morse
September 17, 2025

With just enough pomp and circumstance to convey the importance, tradition and urgency of the moment, Arthur Levine was sworn in this week as the 10th president of Brandeis University.

He had led the university on an interim basis since November 2024, but in July the Board of Trustees voted to extend Levine's service through 2027.

At an intimate dinner gathering and ceremony Wednesday in the Napoli Room at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, Levine pledged to propel the university forward amid a disruptive higher education landscape and a rapidly changing economy. But he cautioned that he can't do it alone.

"I need you," Levine told the audience of trustees, administrators, alumni, faculty and staff. "Brandeis needs you. Together, we can make this historic dream come true."

Board of Trustees chair Lisa Kranc '75 administered Levine the charge of office, and presented him the medallion, chain of office and university charter. She described Levine as a principled and passionate leader who has reawakened the spirit of the university's founders.

"He has made students feel heard, and faculty feel empowered to innovate and design a new future for our university," Kranc said.

A leading scholar of higher education, Levine outlined his vision to reimagine the liberal arts by strengthening connections between academic skills and the demands of the modern workplace. A shared sense of mission and direction quickly brought faculty and the Board of Trustees along on the journey, Levine said.

"We're transforming Brandeis," he said. "We're establishing it as a leader, and we're setting a path that higher education will follow in our wake."

Yet the university's plan will not come at the expense of Brandeis' deeply held values, he said, which are rooted in the Jewish experience and dedicated to learning and excellence in education; a commitment to ending discrimination of any kind; and tikkun olam - Hebrew for "repairing the world."

Board of Trustees member Marjorie Hass said Brandeis is in good hands with Levine because he is meeting upheaval in higher education head-on, while never moving faster than the Brandeis community can keep up.

"Like plants to the sun, institutions grow in the direction of their leaders, and I can already see the ways we are stretching our leaves and branches toward the light that Arthur has brought with him," said Hass, who led the dinner guests in a recitation of the Shehecheyanu, a Jewish blessing to mark joyous occasions.

Levine's commitment to Brandeis isn't only academic. With humor and warmth he recalled his days on campus, making friends for life and being introduced to his wife, Linda. He has been president of Teachers College at Columbia University and Bradford College. He has taught at Harvard. But he said Brandeis is different - it's warm and welcoming, but it's also an intellectual community committed to social justice.

Levine said many people have shared their stories, sadnesses, and personal stories with him since he arrived on campus. Some have been criticisms.

"But you know what? They're all wrapped in love for this institution," he said.