NYU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Antonio Merlo to Step Down

As of January 31st, Dean Antonio Merlo has announced that he will be stepping down from his role here at NYU. Dean Merlo was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and will continue his career as the President of Drexel University. 

Antonio Merlo, the now-former Dean of NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences. (NYU)

Dean Merlo is an NYU GSAS alumni, who began his career as the dean back in 2019. In his announcement to NYU staff and faculty, Merlo explained that “NYU made me who I am today. That is why it has been such a privilege to contribute to its present—and future—by shepherding the intellectual center of the university forward.” 

According to the NYU website, Dean Merlo “received his Ph.D. from NYU and was previously a member of NYU’s Economics and Politics faculty.” Soon after, Dean Merlo became the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Rice University, and then the Dean here at NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Despite the challenging transition Dean Merlo will soon undertake, he states that “Drexel University embraces an ethos not unlike NYU’s. It is an urban striver with a commitment to accessible education for all, and a fierce ambition to build on its successes. As happy as I have been to serve NYU, I am deeply excited for this next challenge and opportunity.”