University of Delaware appoints interim president Laura Carlson as its new president.
UD’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name Carlson its 29th president, noting she brings over 30 years of experience in higher education, including time as an educator, researcher, and administrator.
Carlson is only the second woman to hold the post in the university’s over 280 year history. something she says is important.
“It’s something I heard over and over again at the reception. I was walking into work this morning and a neighbor greeted me and said, ‘Congratulations and I’m so happy it’s a woman president’ It matters. And it would be foolish for us to ignore that; it would be disrespectful I think.” she said.
She joined UD as provost in 2022 after 25 years at Notre Dame and was named the interim president in July when former President Dennis Assanis stepped down in July.
In September, Board of Trustees chair Terri Kelly told the university community it would take about three months to decide whether to appoint Carlson or launch a nationwide search.
Kelly says selecting Carlson was setting an example of internal promotion.
“We knocked it out of the park in terms of overlay, what everyone was looking for, all of our stakeholders, and her fit with that. It was kind of a combination of all of that coming together. But there were folks that said, because of fifty years of history, ‘everyone does a national search, that’s what you do’, I think we’re trying to change that paradigm as well.” she said.
She was selected after what UD calls an “extensive and robust” effort during the fall semester to ask stakeholders what qualities and experience in UD’s next president should have through multiple listening sessions and an online survey.
Since taking over on an interim basis, Carlson used her “Becoming OneUD” initiative to gather input from hundreds of people through town halls and online submissions. She created a Staff Council in response to suggestions during the staff town hall.
Carlson officially takes over January 1, 2026.
