U of M President Joan Gabel named chancellor at University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh has announced Joan Gabel, who is currently serving as the University of Minnesota’s president and chief executive, will be leading the school as its 19th chancellor.

Officials at the University of Pittsburgh announced the news Monday morning, saying Gabel will start her new position on July 1.

In a statement, the U of M says she will work with the school’s leaders over the coming months on the transition.

“Since joining the University of Minnesota, Joan has led the University through some of the most challenging years in its history,” U of M Board of Regents Chair Ken Powell. “She expertly navigated a global pandemic and its continued disruptions, through a time of both seismic shifts in higher education and great change here in Minnesota. I’m deeply appreciative of everything she has invested and accomplished as our president.”

He said there will be more information about the search process for her replacement in the coming week.

Gabel wrote a message to students, faculty and staff, saying serving as the president of the University of Minnesota has been “the greatest honor of my career.”

According to the announcement, Gabel will be the first woman to lead the University of Pittsburgh since it was founded in 1787.

Gabel will replace Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who announced he would be stepping down this summer to transition to the faculty as a professor.

Gabel became the U of M’s 17th president back in 2019. Prior to that, she was the executive vice president and provost at the University of South Carolina.