Steinhardt Dean Jack Knott will step down at the end of the academic year after five years in the position, President Linda Mills and Provost Georgina Dopico said in a Wednesday email to the school’s students and faculty.

The email did not specify a reason for Knott’s resignation, but added that he will return to NYU in fall 2027 as a Senior University Ambassador — a position with no online record, where he will be “engaging with alumni, retired faculty and other constituents.” Administrators will begin the search for Knott’s successor in the coming weeks.

“Jack arrived at NYU in the summer of 2020, just months into the pandemic, and led Steinhardt through one of the most challenging times in its history,” the email read. “His work here with faculty, students and staff has helped build Steinhardt into a globally respected leader in interdisciplinary scholarship and student flourishing.”

During Knott’s tenure, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development launched the Jameel Arts & Health Lab to research how art can improve health, in partnership with the World Health Organization, in 2023. The same year, Knott awarded the school’s inaugural Dean’s Innovation Grants to fund interdisciplinary research in arts and education. Last year, Steinhardt signed a $7.5 million partnership with Sony to support internships, workshops and audio equipment for students, and launched the Sony Audio Institute Studio earlier this month.

Before joining Steinhardt, Knott served as the dean of the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He received his Ph.D. in political science and government from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to lead policy research institutes at the University of Illinois and Michigan State University, where he founded the MSU Survey Research Center.

Notice of Knott’s resignation follows multiple recent leadership transitions at NYU. The university appointed Polly Trottenberg as dean of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in July 2025, after her predecessor resigned earlier that year. In May, Faculty of Arts & Science dean Antonio Merlo left his position to step up as president of Drexel University, and Tisch dean Allyson Green resigned from her role to continue her work as a professor. NYU also announced that longtime Harvard professor Bharat Anand would serve as dean of the Stern School of Business after his predecessor was promoted.

Contact Zachary Karp at [email protected].