The Jewish Theological Seminary Announces Transition of Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz at the End of the 2025–26 Academic Year
Renowned Scholar, Academic Leader, and First Female Chancellor in the Institution’s 139 Year History Will Step Down Following Distinguished Tenure; Will Become Chancellor Emerita and Remain a Faculty Member
Board to Initiate Search for Successor
June 16, 2025 — New York, NY — The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), one of the world’s preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, and the intellectual and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, announced today that Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz has decided to step down from her role at the end of the 2025–26 academic year. Chancellor Schwartz, the institution’s eighth Chancellor, is an American Jewish historian with more than three decades of experience as a professor and institutional leader at JTS.
Chancellor Schwartz will become Chancellor Emerita and, following a sabbatical, will return as a member of JTS’s faculty. Under the leadership of Alan Levine, Chair of the JTS Board of Trustees, a search committee is being formed, and a leading executive search firm has been retained to identify JTS’s ninth Chancellor.
“It has been a great honor and privilege to serve as Chancellor of this renowned institution of Jewish learning for the past five years, and I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together during what has been a profoundly challenging time for higher education and the Jewish people,” said Chancellor Schwartz. “I look forward to continuing to build on our progress in the year ahead, working to further position JTS for a vibrant future, while ensuring a smooth and successful transition to the next Chancellor.”
“Over the course of Chancellor Schwartz’s tenure, JTS has faced a complex and evolving landscape. From the COVID-19 pandemic and the pivot to virtual learning, to rising threats to civil discourse, the tragic events of October 7, increasing antisemitism and pressure on academic institutions—she has led us with clarity, nuance, and compassion,” said Mr. Levine. “Through her exceptional leadership, Chancellor Schwartz has not only guided the institution through these turbulent times but has ensured that it emerges stronger than before. We thank her for her unwavering dedication to our students, faculty, staff, and mission.”
Among her most enduring contributions, Chancellor Schwartz was instrumental in developing and setting in motion key institutional initiatives, focused principally on strengthening the core academic programs that define JTS, expanding the educational reach to a much wider audience, deepening its impact on the Jewish community, and securing a robust future for the institution. Highlights of JTS’s accomplishments during this time include:
- Academic Innovation: Launched new degree programs—including a Masters in Spiritual Care and an MFA in Creative Writing—and expanded online learning to reach broader audiences.
- Faculty and Program Growth: Hired four new faculty members, launched the Division of Lifelong and Professional Studies, and established the Robert S. Rifkind Professorship in Jewish History.
- Strengthening Leadership Pipelines: Initiated new pathways for emerging Jewish leaders, leading to increased enrollment in the Division of Religious Leadership.
- Campus Transformation: Reimagined JTS as a hub for Jewish life by welcoming partner organizations and fostering animated community life.
- Expanded Partnerships with Columbia / Barnard: Worked with university leadership to deepen relationships and created new opportunities for students to join the JTS community for study and dining.
- Assembled Thought Leadership Panels Through Public Convenings: Brought together a broad range of perspectives through JTS’s convenings: Antisemitism and Allyship, Zionism: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond, and Israel at a Crossroads and extended learning opportunities through the dissemination of ideas and insights by offering webinars and podcasts.
Prior to serving as Chancellor, Dr. Schwartz served as JTS’s provost. Before that, she was dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School for 10 years and dean of List College, JTS’s undergraduate dual-degree program with Barnard and Columbia, for 25 years. Over the decades, as Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, Chancellor Schwartz taught courses on modern Jewish life, American Jewish history and culture, Jewish gender and women’s studies, and Jewish-Christian relations. She was among the first women on the faculty and was instrumental in advancing gender studies at the institution.
Read Chancellor Schwartz’s announcement here.
Read a letter from Chair of the Board, Alan Levine here.
