Dr. Kimberly Cline

President, Long Island University

A former State University CFO and small-college president – she headed Mercy College in Westchester for five years – Dr. Kimberly Cline was appointed president of Long Island University in July 2013. Arriving during a period of fiscal uncertainty and faculty unrest, she introduced – often over strident opposition – initiatives intended to strengthen the university’s academic standings and improve its research capabilities while emphasizing entrepreneurship and bolstering revenue flow. Over the past four years, indications of her leadership’s success have mounted. Fiscally, the university’s endowment has more than doubled to about $200 million. Partnerships with a new generation of philanthropists like T. Denny Sanford have funded new incubators, extended entrepreneurship studies, and improved the curriculum to train nonprofit leaders. Plans for a new engineering school are in the works. LIU was recognized as one of the top 20 selective private colleges in the nation on the “Overall Mobility Index,” assembled by researchers from Harvard, Stanford, and Brown as part of the Equality of Opportunity Project. This accolade followed laurels from publications such as US News and World Report and organizations such as the Brookings Institution. Last year, The Princeton Review included LIU’s Brookville campus in its “Best in the Northeast” list for the first time. In January the university renewed Cline’s contract through 2023. Cline is a board member of the Long Island Association, the Center for Creative Leadership, and the Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities. Kline has a Bachelor’s degree in Science in Industrial Relations, a Master’s in Business Administration, a Juris Doctorate, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration.