Cornelius M. Kerwin

14th President, American University

Following a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Cornelius M. Kerwin became AU’s fourteenth president on September 1, 2007, leading an institution of 11,000 students, 978 teaching faculty, and 2,210 staff in the nation’s capital.

As president, Dr. Kerwin oversees AU’s $400 million budget and $400 million endowment; is leading the $200 million AnewAU campaign toward its conclusion; and is managing major facilities improvements that will complete a program of new or refurbished homes for AU’s six schools and colleges. He also will launch AU’s next strategic plan to chart the university’s course in the twenty-first century and work with the Board of Trustees to implement their model governance structure based on transparency, openness, and accountability.

Dr. Kerwin’s experience serving as acting, then interim, president for the past two years—coupled with his deep personal ties to AU—give him a unique understanding of the institution’s aspirations, accomplishments, and history. He graduated from AU in 1971 with a BA in political science (followed by an MA from the University of Rhode Island in 1974 and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1978). Dr. Kerwin’s wife, Ann (BA/1971), and eldest son, Michael (BA/2005), are also AU graduates (son, Alex, graduated from Tufts University).

Professionally, Dr. Kerwin has been affiliated with AU since 1975 when he became an assistant professor of political science.  He holds a faculty appointment in the School of Public Affairs’ Department of Public Administration and was dean of the School of Public Affairs from 1988 to 1997, then provost from 1997 to 2005. As the chief academic officer, he led 475 full-time teaching faculty and managed a portfolio that included admissions; financial aid; institutional research and assessment; the registrar’s office; and other offices, including the library and the Washington semester, general education, and honors programs.

A nationally recognized specialist and published author in public policy and the regulatory process, Dr. Kerwin is actively engaged in research and regularly teaches courses in administrative process, policy implementation, and American government. He also founded AU’s Center for the Study of Rulemaking.  

Dr. Kerwin is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration; a former president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration; and founding chair of the Section on Public Law and Administration of the American Society for Public Administration. He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Pi Alpha Alpha national honor societies for the fields of political science and public administration.