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Dr. Lori S. White assumed the role of president of DePauw University on July 1, 2020. She has an impressive 40-year career in higher education, having served in leadership positions at several prestigious institutions, including Washington University in St. Louis, Southern Methodist University, the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Georgetown University, San Diego State University and the University of California, Irvine.
As president of DePauw, Dr. White has implemented several key initiatives, including the Bold & Gold 2027 strategic plan, which focuses on academic renewal, enhancing the student experience, institutional equity and ensuring the university's flourishing. Prioritizing student well-being and belonging is a crucial pillar of the university's strategy. The plan also includes broadening academic programs beyond traditional liberal arts and sciences, including adding the School of Business and Leadership and the Creative School and recentering the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Through deep collaboration with the Board of Trustees, the three School Advisory Boards, the President's Cabinet, and faculty, staff and student leadership, Dr. White continues to champion the value of liberal arts education while leading the institution toward a more inclusive, innovative and sustainable future. In February of 2023, Dr. White announced a $150 million gift, part of $200 million in gifts raised to support the launch of the strategic plan. To date, this gift represents the largest gift in the university's history.
Dr. White is actively involved in several national higher education organizations. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Foundation (Chair, 2016-2017). In 2009, she was named a Pillar of the Profession by NASPA. Dr. White is one of five founding college presidents of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA). She currently serves on the Association of Governing Boards' Council of Presidents, the Board of Directors of the Council of Independent Colleges, the Board of Directors of Independent Colleges of Indiana, as the Vice President of the Executive Committee of the North Coast Athletic Conference and as the Vice President of the Great Lakes Colleges Association.
Born and raised in San Francisco, the daughter of a registered nurse and of a professor of psychology, Dr. White's academic journey began at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and English. She then went on to obtain her Ph.D. from Stanford University in education administration and policy analysis, with an emphasis on higher education. She is married to Dr. Anthony Tillman, who serves as DePauw's Dean of Student Academic Success and Equity.