Andrés Acebo
Andrés Acebo has been unanimously confirmed as the 13th president of New Jersey City University (NJCU). Since his appointment as interim president in 2023, Acebo has led the institution through a remarkable recovery from fiscal emergency. He is the youngest public university president in New Jersey and the third Hispanic to hold such a role in the state. A first-generation college graduate and son of Cuban immigrants, Acebo champions underserved, first-generation students, aligning with NJCU's mission as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Under his leadership, NJCU achieved financial stability, revitalized academic and enrollment strategies, and strengthened student support programs. Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School.
R. May Lee
R. May Lee has been named the third president of the Olin College of Engineering, beginning her tenure on August 18, 2025. With experience ranging from Wall Street to the nonprofit sector, Lee comes to Olin from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She was also a professor of entrepreneurship at RPI’s School of Architecture. She was the founding Dean of the School of Entrepreneurship and Management at Shanghai Tech University. Lee’s career includes senior executive positions on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs and leadership positions in nonprofit organizations. Lee earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Charles Lee Isbell Jr.
Charles Lee Isbell Jr. is the 11th Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is a computationalist, researcher and an award-winning teacher who has been recognized internationally for his work in providing high-quality, accessible education at scale. His research has focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, with an emphasis on how those systems interact with humans in responsible and inclusive ways. Isbell completed his undergraduate studies at Georgia Tech and holds a Ph.D. from MIT. He previously worked for AT&T Labs/Research, was dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech and Provost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dennis Assanis
Dr. Dennis Assanis has been appointed as UC Santa Barbara’s sixth chancellor. Assanis comes to UC from the University of Delaware (UD), where he has served as president since 2016. Before coming to UD, Assanis served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at New York’s Stony Brook University and vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs. Assanis earned his bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Newcastle University in England in 1980. He earned three master’s degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1982, Mechanical Engineering in 1982 and Management in 1986. He earned a Ph.D. in Power and Propulsion at MIT in 1985.
