Debora L. Spar, president of Barnard College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution for women in New York City, has announced that she will step down from her post in March. President Spar has agreed to become president and chief executive officer of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Lincoln Center includes 11 resident performing arts organizations including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York City Ballet. More than 5 million visitors attend events at Lincoln Center each year.
Dr. Spar was named president of Barnard College in 2008. Previously, she was the Spangler Family Professor and senior associate dean for faculty research and development at Harvard Business School. Dr. Spar is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University.
In an email letter to the college community, President Spar stated that “during my time at Barnard, I have had the great privilege of meeting and working with women who are truly of substance, and of grit. All of these experiences have touched me in profound ways, forcing me to grapple with my own understanding of what it means to be a woman, and to live a life that matters.”