Kerry Walk

{{short description|American higher education leader and former college president}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Kerry Walk | image = | caption = | alma_mater = Wellesley College (B.A.)<br>University of California, Berkeley (M.A., Ph.D.) | occupation = Academic administrator | known_for = President of Marymount Manhattan College; President of University of the Arts }}

'''Kerry Walk''' is an American higher education leader and former college president. She has served as president of Marymount Manhattan College and the University of the Arts, and as interim president and provost of Otis College of Art and Design. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at Princeton University, Harvard University, and Pitzer College.<ref name="MMC2023">{{cite web |title=MMC President Kerry Walk to Step Down in June |url=https://www.mmm.edu/live/news/4675-mmc-president-kerry-walk-to-step-down-in-june |website=Marymount Manhattan College News |date=April 21, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Inquirer2023">{{cite news |last=Snyder |first=Susan |title=University of the Arts Has a New President: Kerry Walk Has Led a New York City College for 8 Years |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=April 20, 2023 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/university-of-the-arts-kerry-walk-new-president-20230420.html}}</ref>

== Early life and education == Walk received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Wellesley College in 1983.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Hundred and Fifth Annual Commencement Program, June 3, 1983 |website=Wellesley College Archives |url=https://repository.wellesley.edu/_flysystem/fedora/2023-12/WCA_1VC_Commencement_1983.pdf}}</ref> She later earned a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley.<ref>{{cite web |title=Graduate Theses by Kerry Walk |website=University of California, Berkeley Library Digital Catalog |access-date=October 7, 2025 |url=https://search.library.berkeley.edu/}}</ref>

== Career ==

== Harvard University == Walk taught in the Expository Writing Program and served as Assistant Director of the Harvard Writing Project, a university-wide writing-in-the-disciplines initiative. She was also a researcher for the Harvard Study of Undergraduate Writing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Garcia |first=Katrina Alicia |title=Expos Study Tracks College Writing Careers |newspaper=The Harvard Crimson |date=February 25, 1999 |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/2/25/expos-study-tracks-college-writing-careers/}}</ref>

== Princeton University == At Princeton University, Walk restructured and expanded the Princeton Writing Program, overseeing more than 100 interdisciplinary seminars and a writing center offering individual tutoring.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stevens |first=Ruth |title=Seminars Put Writing at the Forefront for Freshmen: Revamped Program Introduced This Fall |newspaper=Princeton Weekly Bulletin |date=October 15, 2001 |url=https://pr.princeton.edu/pwb/01/1015/}}</ref> She also collaborated with departments to integrate writing into the curriculum and developed a graduate program in scientific communication.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Focus: Princeton Writing Program |website=Princeton University News |date=August 31, 2006 |url=https://www.princeton.edu/news/2006/08/31/focus-princeton-writing-program}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Graduate Writing Courses in Science & Engineering |website=Princeton Writing Program |access-date=October 7, 2025 |url=https://writing.princeton.edu/graduate-students-postdocs/writing-courses-science-engineering}}</ref>

== Pitzer College == Walk served as Associate Dean of Faculty at Pitzer College.<ref name="Etienne">{{cite news |last=Etienne |first=Valcy |title=Pittsburgh Native Ascends to NYC College Presidency |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=June 23, 2015 |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/06/23/pittsburgh-native-ascends-to-nyc-college-presidency/stories/201506220004}}</ref>

== Otis College of Art and Design ==

At Otis College of Art and Design, Walk was Provost from 2011 to 2014 and Interim President from 2014 to 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Otis |website=Otis College of Art and Design |url=https://www.otis.edu/about/otis-glance/history-of-otis}}</ref> During her tenure, the college completed an award-winning campus expansion supported by a capital campaign.<ref>{{cite web |title=Otis College of Art and Design – Merit Award, SCUP Excellence in Architecture for a New Building |website=Society for College and University Planning |url=https://www.scup.org/award-winner/otis-college-of-art-and-design-campus-expansion/}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lauria |first=Jo |title=Three Decades of Unparalleled Support |magazine=OMAG: Otis College of Art and Design Magazine |issue=Spring 2015 |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b4be531365f0271a4b36e08/t/62070368974feb30f48faeca/1644626801120/OTIS+-+OMAG+-+Spring+2015+Issue+16+%28Compersed%29.pdf}}</ref> She also led outreach around the annual ''Otis Report on the Creative Economy'', including a documentary collaboration with PBS SoCal.<ref>{{cite web |title=KCETLink and Otis College of Art and Design Partner on Special Artbound Multimedia Series |website=PBS SoCal Press Room |date=March 4, 2015 |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/press-room/kcetlink-and-otis-college-of-art-and-design-partner-on-special-artbound-multimedia-series-and-broadcast-exploring-los-angeles-creative-economy}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California Maps Economic Impact |publisher=California Arts Council |date=April 15, 2015 |url=https://arts.ca.gov/press-release/otis-report-on-the-creative-economy-of-california}}</ref>

== Marymount Manhattan College == Walk served as president of Marymount Manhattan College from 2015 to 2023.<ref name="MMC2023"/><ref name="Etienne"/> She secured the largest gift in the college’s history—US$25 million—and oversaw the construction of the Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts. <ref>{{cite news |title=Marymount Manhattan College Receives $25 Million Gift |work=Philanthropy News Digest |date=February 23, 2021 |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/marymount-manhattan-college-receives-25-million-gift}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts |website=Boston Society for Architecture |url=http://designawards.architects.org/projects/interior-architectureinterior-design/the-judith-mara-carson-center-for-visual-arts/}}</ref> She also launched ''CityEdge'', a grant-funded career program providing experiential learning opportunities in New York City,<ref>{{cite web |title=Booth Ferris Foundation Awards MMC Major Grant for CityEdge |website=Marymount Manhattan College News |date=June 13, 2017 |url=https://www.mmm.edu/live/news/2159-booth-ferris-foundation-awards-mmc-major-grant-for}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MMC Receives $300K Booth Ferris Grant to Expand CityEdge |website=Marymount Manhattan College News |date=October 20, 2022 |url=https://www.mmm.edu/live/news/4259-mmc-receives-300k-booth-ferris-grant-to-expand}}</ref> and expanded prison education initiatives supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mellon Foundation Awards $3.3 Million for Prison Education, Reentry |work=Philanthropy News Digest |date=June 18, 2019 |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/mellon-foundation-awards-3-3-million-for-prison-education-reentry}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MMC Receives $800k Mellon Foundation Grant to Fund College's Prison Education Programming |website=Marymount Manhattan College News |date=June 13, 2019 |url=https://www.mmm.edu/live/news/3169-mmc-receives-800k-mellon-foundation-grant-to-fund}}</ref>

== University of the Arts ==

Walk became president of the University of the Arts on August 1, 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lederman |first=Doug |title=New Presidents and Provosts |work=Inside Higher Ed |date=June 1, 2023 |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2023/06/01/new-presidents-or-provosts-berks-columbia-fla}}</ref> She emphasized multidisciplinary learning and civic engagement during her tenure.<ref name="Inquirer2023" /> The university announced its closure in June 2024, citing an urgent financial crisis following several years of fiscal strain.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boucher |first=Brian |title=Philadelphia's University of the Arts Announces Sudden Closing |work=The New York Times |date=June 2, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/arts/design/philadelphias-arts-university-closing.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fitch Ratings |title=Fitch Downgrades University of the Arts, PA's Revs to 'B+'; Outlook Negative |date=January 23, 2024 |url=https://www.fitchratings.com/research/us-public-finance/fitch-downgrades-university-of-arts-pa-revs-to-b-outlook-negative-23-01-2024}}</ref> Walk resigned shortly afterward, after ten months in office.<ref>{{cite news |last=Small |first=Zachary |title=University of the Arts President Resigns After School Announces Closure |work=The New York Times |date=June 4, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/arts/design/university-arts-kerry-walk-philadelphia.html}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

External links * [Marymount Manhattan College – News Archive](https://www.mmm.edu/live/news) * [University of the Arts – Official website](https://www.uarts.edu)

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walk, Kerry}} Category:Living people Category:American academic administrators Category:Wellesley College alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:Marymount Manhattan College faculty Category:Princeton University staff Category:Harvard University staff Category:Pitzer College faculty Category:Otis College of Art and Design Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people)