Kathleen Hagerty, the first woman provost of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has announced she will retire at the end of the current academic year.
A faculty member for over four decades, Dr. Hagerty has served as Northwestern’s chief academic officer for the past five years. During this time, she has hired several leading faculty members, five deans, and two vice presidents. She oversaw the development of many academic initiatives and research centers, including the Querry Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering, the Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence, and the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology. Under her leadership, Northwestern recently secured accreditation through the 2034-2035 academic year.
Dr. Hagerty began her tenure with Northwestern in 1984 as a faculty member in the Kellogg School of Management, where she currently holds the First Chicago Professorship in Finance. As a scholar, she studies the micro-structure of securities markets, disclosure regulation, insider training regulation, and the effectiveness of self-regulatory organizations.
Prior to her provost appointment, Dr. Hagerty was associate provost for faculty and had a stint as interim dean of the Kellogg School. She has served in several leadership roles throughout her long tenure, including senior associate dean of faculty and research, chair of the finance department, and faculty director for Kellogg’s Ph.D. programs. In addition to her academic work, she also serves as chair of the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
“From the day I arrived at Northwestern, I have felt immense pride in the university and the people who make it so special,” said Dr. Hagerty. “During my time in Kellogg and as provost, I have worked with dedicated, smart, and caring people who know how to get things done and love Northwestern as much as I do, including an incredibly talented and caring group of deans and senior leaders.”
Dr. Hagerty earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics, master’s degree in operations research, and MBA in finance, all from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.