The following is a list of University of Delaware people, which includes alumni, current and former faculty, and recipients of honorary degrees.
Although the University of Delaware claims it origins to a one room school founded by the Rev. Dr. Francis Alison in 1743 in New London, Pennsylvania, [23] this list is restricted to the lists of individual who had held office since 1834. [24]
The following persons have served as president of the University of Delaware: [24] [25]
| No. | Image | President | Term start | Term end | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents of Newark College (1833–1843) | |||||
| 1a | | Eliphalet Wheeler Gilbert | 1834 | 1835 | |
| 2 | | Richard Sharpe Mason | 1835 | 1840 | |
| 1b | | Eliphalet Wheeler Gilbert | 1840 | 1847 | |
| Presidents of Delaware College (1843–1921) | |||||
| 3 | James Patriot Wilson, Jr. | 1847 | 1850 | ||
| 4 | | William Augustus Norton | 1850 | 1850 | |
| 5 | | Matthew Meigs | 1850 | 1851 | |
| 6 | Walter Scott Finney Graham | 1851 | 1854 [a] | ||
| 7 | | Daniel Kirkwood | 1854 | 1859 | |
| 8 | Ellis James Newlin | 1856 | 1859 | ||
| interim 9 | George Franklin Wiswell | 1859 | 1859 | ||
| 10 | Rathmell Wilson | 1859 | 1870 | ||
| 11 | William Henry Purnell | 1870 | 1885 | ||
| 12 | John Hollis Caldwell | 1885 | 1888 [b] | ||
| interim 13 | Lewis Potter Bush | 1888 | 1888 | ||
| 14 | | Albert Newton Raub | 1888 | 1896 | |
| 15 | George Abram Harter | 1896 | 1914 | ||
| 16 | Samuel Chiles Mitchell | 1914 | 1920 | ||
| Presidents of University of Delaware (1921–present) | |||||
| 17 | Walter Hullihen | 1920 | 1944 [a] | ||
| 18 | Wilbur Owen Sypherd | 1944 | 1946 | ||
| 19 | William Samuel Carlson | 1946 | 1950 | ||
| interim 20 | Allan Philip Colburn | 1950 | 1950 | ||
| 21 | John Alanson Perkins | 1950 | 1967 [c] | ||
| interim 22 | John William Shirley [d] | 1967 | 1968 | ||
| 23a | Edward Arthur Trabant | 1968 | June 30, 1987 | ||
| 24 | Russel C. Jones | July 1, 1987 | October 24, 1988 | [26] [27] [28] | |
| acting | Edward R. Pierce | October 24, 1988 | October 26, 1988 | ||
| 23b | Edward Arthur Trabant | October 26, 1988 | April 30, 1990 | [29] [30] | |
| 25 | David P. Roselle | May 1, 1990 | June 30, 2007 | [31] [32] [33] | |
| 26 | Patrick T. Harker | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2015 [e] | [34] [35] | |
| acting 27 | Nancy Targett | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 | [36] | |
| 28 | | Dennis Assanis | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2025 | [37] [38] |
| interim | Laura Carlson | July 1, 2025 | present | [39] | |
Table notes:
Russel C. Jones, vice president for academic affairs at Boston University, will be the 23rd president of the University of Delaware. Jones, 51, will replace E.A. Trabant on July 1, ending Trabant's 19 years as president. Last May, Trabant said he would retire this June and hoped to join the school's faculty as a math professor.
On Wednesday, Russel C. Jones will become the 23rd president of the University of Delaware, replacing E.A. Trabant in one of the most influential jobs in the state. Jones, 51, had been vice president for academic affairs and development at Boston University for the past six years. He was selected from among 217 candidates by the University of Delaware's board of trustees in January to become Trabant's successor.
University of Delaware President Russel C. Jones resigned on Monday, ending a 15-month tenure marked by controversy over minority issues. Jones cited differences with the "long-term leadership" of the university's Board of Trustees. The resignation, effective immediately, shocked many in the university community but came as no surprise to Trustee Andrew B. Kirkpatrick who will become chairman of the trustees in December... Kirkpatrick said a special Board of Trustees meeting will be convened as soon as possible to discuss the resignation and a replacement for Jones, the university's 23rd president. Edward R. Pierce, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, became acting president Monday in accord with university bylaws. Jones will stay at the university as a professor in the college of engineering.
The University of Delaware board of trustees on Wednesday tapped former President E.A. Trabant to serve as president until a replacement is found for Russel C. Jones, who resigned Monday. Trabant, 68, was president for 19 years before stepping down in June 1987 to teach mathematics. His new term, effective immediately, could last until 1990, the latest date set by the trustees for installation of a permanent successor to Jones, who served for less than 16 months.
University of Delaware President E.A. Trabant will step down May 1 to make way for his successor, David P. Roselle, the former president of the University of Kentucky. The arrangement was worked out by the two presidents. Until May 1, Trabant will "fulfill all official university duties while taking a lead introducing Dr. Roselle to the university and the larger community," Trustees Chairman Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr. announced Wednesday... Trabant, the 22nd and 24th president, has been president since 1969, one of the longest presidencies of a major university in the modern era. After resigning in 1987, he was called back a year later to replace Russel C. Jones, who resigned in October 1988.
University of Kentucky president David P. Roselle, a mathematician who gained a reputation for integrity by his handling of a sports scandal, was named president of the University of Delaware on Thursday.
UD President David P. Roselle announced that he will step down as president on or around May 1, 2007, a date 17 years to the day after he became the University's 25th president in 1990.
President David P. Roselle announced in May that he will be stepping down from the position that he has held since 1990. Roselle said he will remain in office through May 1, 2007, or until the Trustees have named a new president.
The Executive Committee of the University of Delaware Board of Trustees has voted to elect Patrick T. Harker, dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to serve as the 26th president of the University of Delaware... Harker will take office on July 1, 2007
University of Delaware President Patrick T. Harker announced today that he will step down as president to become president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. His new appointment is effective July 1.
The University of Delaware Board of Trustees has named a search committee to identify the institution's next president and has selected Nancy Targett, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, to serve as acting president, effective July 1, Board Chairman Gil Sparks announced today. Current UD President Patrick T. Harker announced March 2 that he will step down June 30 to become president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Dennis Assanis, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University, has been elected the next president of the University of Delaware, after a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees at a special meeting on Nov. 18... Assanis will take office on July 1, 2016, and Nancy M. Targett will continue to serve as UD's acting president until then.
Dennis Assanis — who has led the University of Delaware since 2016 during a unique period of transformation and growth — announced today that he will step down from the presidency on June 30. Assanis, UD's 28th president, led the University...
The University of Delaware Board of Trustees has selected Provost Laura Carlson to serve as interim president of the University, effective July 1, Board Chair Terri Kelly announced today. Carlson will succeed Dennis Assanis, the University's 28th president who recently announced his plans to step down on June 30.