University President-elect Anthony Monaco met the Tufts community for the first time in the Coolidge Room yesterday morning, kicking off a whirlwind tour of Tufts' three campuses.
The Board of Trustees Monday evening elected Monaco, a University of Oxford administrator and scientist, to succeed University President Lawrence Bacow as the university's next head. In a short, upbeat ceremony, Monaco, accompanied by his wife Zoia and sons Alexander, Nicholas and Anthony, briefly addressed a capacity crowd about his vision for the future of the university.
"It is a tremendous honor to be here today," Monaco told the audience. "Zoia and the boys and I are really excited about this opportunity to come to the Tufts community."
In his remarks, which lasted less than five minutes, Monaco thanked the search committee and the Board of Trustees for their confidence in him. He said he was informed of the decision two weeks ago but had to keep the news a secret.
"It's been very difficult because I haven't been able to tell anyone," Monaco said. "So my colleagues at Oxford may have noticed my sudden penchant for ties with little elephants."
Monaco said that his own personal values — including a commitment to academic excellence, diversity and need-blind admissions — were "well-matched" to those of the university.
"Tufts is truly a remarkable university, and I look forward to advancing its mission," he said.
The entire event, which consisted of introductions and remarks by top administrators prior to Monaco's address, was broadcast live online through a university website dedicated to information about the next president.
In his introduction, Bacow said Monaco's appointment marked "a truly great day for Tufts University, a great day for American higher education and, I think, a great day for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
Bacow in his remarks reflected on his own introduction to the Tufts community; he took office in 2001.
"I was just thinking that it was just yesterday in which I walked into this very room and greeted so many of you for the very first time," he said. "It has gone incredibly swiftly."
Monaco is an accomplished geneticist and neuroscientist who is currently the pro-vice-chancellor for planning and resources at Oxford.
"The real challenge was to find that special combination that would be the right match for Tufts," Board of Trustees Chair James Stern (E '72) told the audience. "One candidate stood out above all the others."
Presidential Search Committee Chair Peter Dolan (A '78) and Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha also spoke. Dolan thanked the members of the search committee for their work in maintaining confidentiality about the body's deliberations until the eve of the announcement.
After the event's conclusion, Monaco expressed satisfaction with the proceedings.
"I think it was great. It was exciting, obviously, and it's nice to have a bit of a laugh and not take it so formally," he told the Daily, referencing Stern's joke at the outset of the event about converting Monaco's sons to New York Yankees fans — and Monaco's retort that Red Sox Nation would most likely claim his kin.
After visits yesterday of Tufts' three campuses, Monaco and his family planned to return to the United Kingdom in the evening.
"I'm afraid I have to travel back to England … because the boys have to get back to school," he said after the morning event. He will return to Tufts again before the end of the academic year.
After the event, Stern called Monaco's personal background "an American dream story." Born in Wilmington, Del., Monaco attended Princeton University on a full scholarship, according to Stern.
"It's obviously a very exciting day for the university," Stern said. "He's the 13th president — we haven't had too many days like this in our history."
Monaco, Stern said, was well prepared to follow in Bacow's footsteps.
"We all know and love Larry, and we knew there were huge shoes to fill," he said. "We think we have found someone who in any and every respect fills those shoes and understands the legacy that has been built and what he's been given, and the opportunity to build it and grow it even more."
Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences James Glaser expressed approval of the choice, though he said the transition to a new president was somewhat bittersweet.
"He sounds like he's a great fit for the institution," Glaser said. "I have to say that it brings Larry's departure closer to home, and that makes me sad. But change is a good thing for an institution, and I understand that."
Stern said that Monaco presented exactly what the university was looking for in its new resident of Gifford House.
"This is the whole package. This is what you hope for," Stern said of Monaco. "We got very lucky 10 years ago, and I think we've gotten very lucky again."
