Michael Bernstein has been named interim president of The College of New Jersey, effective July 1, for a two-year term. He replaces Kathryn A. Foster, who had served as president since 2018 and announced her departure from the role earlier this year.
Bernstein is provost emeritus at Stony Brook University, having previously served as that institution’s interim president from August 2019 through May 2020. During that time, he guided the university through unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a move to fully remote instruction for a period in 2020.
“Dr. Bernstein has a proven track record of achievement in higher education leadership and is an outstanding fit to lead The College of New Jersey for the interim period,” said TCNJ Board Chair Rebecca Ostrov. “We look forward to working with him to ensure the college’s continued success.”
“With great excitement and enthusiasm, I look forward to joining The College of New Jersey. It will be a genuine privilege and honor to work with the TCNJ Trustees, the senior administrative team, and the college’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni in the weeks and months ahead,” said Bernstein. “Decades ago, I started my teaching career in New Jersey. I am delighted to return now to my professional roots — back in the Garden State — as a Lion!”
Bernstein also served as Stony Brook’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 2016 to 2019. In that role, he oversaw numerous initiatives aimed at supporting the university’s missions in research, scholarship, art-making, and teaching. He also emphasized enhancing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
From 2007 to 2016, Bernstein served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Tulane University, where he helped navigate the institution’s recovery from the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina.
Bernstein spent 20 years at the University of California – San Diego in a variety of capacities, including dean of arts and humanities and chair of the history department.
Bernstein currently serves as a senior consultant with Keeling and Associates, a consulting and professional services firm that works exclusively in the field of higher education.
Bernstein received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in economics from Yale University. His teaching and research interests focus on the economic and political history of the United States, macroeconomic theory, industrial organization economics, and the history of economic theory.
