Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

University of Rochester’s first female president starts

Sarah Mangelsdorf on her first day as president of the University of Rochester.
James Brown WXXI
Sarah Mangelsdorf on her first day as president of the University of Rochester.

Sarah Mangelsdorf beamed as she was introduced to the University of Rochester’s campus, from its quad to its libraries and tunnel system. 

The new president praised the university and said she appreciated the area’s role in the women’s suffrage and abolitionist movements.

“Well, it’s an excellent university in a beautiful part of the country, with a tremendous history, and the city itself has a tremendous place in American history,” said Mangelsdorf, who is the university’s first female president.

Jessica Robbins, who will be a senior this fall, led the tour. 

“I’m just very excited to meet her and give her her first experience on campus,” said Robbins.

Robbins’ enthusiasm was the norm as Mangelsdorf was met everywhere with gifts and greetings. 

Mangelsdorf comes to Rochester from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was provost. She was also a professor of psychology; the focus of her academic career was on researching the social and emotional development of infants and young children. She also held leadership roles at Northwestern and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

University of Rochester senior Jessica Robbins (left) and new president Sarah Mangelsdorf (right)
Credit James Brown WXXI
University of Rochester senior Jessica Robbins (left) and new president Sarah Mangelsdorf (right)

Mangelsdorf says she was a little overwhelmed by the attention and new surroundings, but she’s excited to be in western New York. She said she grew up a Quaker in the Philadelphia area. Mangelsdorf considers herself a feminist, and that’s how she first came to learn of Rochester.

“As a feminist, Rochester is a pretty famous place in women’s history; this whole part of the state is,” said Mangelsdorf. 

Mangelsdorf says that her first order of business is to listen.

“I really want to go meet people where they are out around the campus and in the community and meet our alums around the country,” Mangelsdorf said. “And ask people what do you think U of R is doing well and what do you think we can do differently.”

Mangelsdorf is the 11th president of the University of Rochester, replacing interim President Richard Feldman. 

Feldman took the reins from former President Joel Seligman in March 2018 after an independent hostile work investigation centered on Florian Jaeger, a professor in the university’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences department. Several students had accused Jaeger of sexual harassment. 

The investigation didn’t find evidence of a hostile work environment, but did find inappropriate behavior by Jaeger. Seligman, who faced criticism for his handling of the situation, resigned shortly after the investigation ended.

James Brown is a reporter with WXXI News. James previously spent a decade in marketing communications, while freelance writing for CITY Newspaper. While at CITY, his reporting focused primarily on arts and entertainment.
Related Content