Elizabeth Kiss, an Oxford-trained philosopher and former college president who most recently served as CEO of the Rhodes Trust, has been unanimously selected as the 20th president of Union College.
Kiss (pronounced ‘quiche’) will succeed David Harris, who announced last fall he would be stepping down at the end of the current academic year after seven years. Kiss begins her new role July 1.
“Elizabeth has deep experience in, and a passion for, liberal arts colleges,” said Union Board of Trustees Chair Julie Greifer Swidler ’79. “She fully understands the importance of Union’s distinct integration of STEM and liberal arts, and is the ideal leader to build on the significant progress made during President Harris’ tenure.”
An accomplished higher education leader
Kiss, 63, is a native of New York City. She earned her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Davidson College, and her master’s and doctorate degrees in philosophy from the University of Oxford, which she attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. She brings to Union significant experience in higher education administration, including a decade as founding director of Duke’s Kenan Institute for Ethics, followed by 12 years as president of Agnes Scott College, an all-women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta.
From August 2018 to January 2025, Kiss led the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, UK, a global higher education charity and the administrator of the renowned Rhodes Scholarship program. During her tenure at Rhodes, the Trust raised a record amount of money to support new Rhodes Scholarships in West, East and South Africa, India, Pakistan and China.
She also worked to significantly expand and strengthen other fellowship programs administered by the Rhodes Trust, including the Schmidt Science Fellows, a global science postdoctoral fellowship supporting 32 Fellows a year to pursue cross-disciplinary research, as well as Rise, which has selected 400 young people from more than 100 nationalities and invested in their education and social impact.
A champion of inclusion and the value of a liberal arts education
Throughout her career, Kiss has been a strong and outspoken advocate for the power of creating inclusive communities where all members feel welcome and supported. In addition to championing diversity at Agnes Scott and the Rhodes Trust, Kiss is a trustee of the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, a large private foundation based in Jacksonville, Fla., dedicated to providing equitable access to education, health care and home purchasing through philanthropic support and targeted investments.
“I love liberal arts colleges because they provide students with a rigorous, immersive and transformative undergraduate experience at a human scale,” Kiss said. “They represent a uniquely American model, and I love that Union has a unique place among these institutions with its long-standing commitment to integrating traditional liberal arts disciplines with engineering.”
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Elizabeth Kiss biography
Elizabeth Kiss
- Name: Pronounced ‘quiche’
- Born: New York City
- Education: BA in Philosophy, Davidson College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa (1983); Master’s (1985) and Doctorate (1990) in Philosophy, University of Oxford
- Career highlights:
- Warden and CEO, Rhodes Trust (2018-2025). First woman to lead Rhodes.
- President, Agnes Scott College (2006-2018)
- Founding Director, Kenan Institute for Ethics – Duke University (1997-2006)
- Assistant Professor, Princeton University (1988-2006)
Named “one of the eight most influential people in U.S. higher education” by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 2017
- Personal:
- Married to Jeff Holzgrefe
- First woman from Davidson College to be named a Rhodes Scholar
- Scholar of moral and political philosophy who has published on moral education, human rights, ethnic conflict and nationalism, feminist theory and transitional justice
- Honorary degree recipient: Agnes Scott College (GA), Randolph-Macon College (VA), Washington & Jefferson College (PA)
- Loves hiking and hopes to tackle some of the Adirondacks ‘high peaks’
Beyond Union’s distinct place in higher education, Kiss said she was immediately taken with the enthusiasm around the College.
“What drew me to Union, from the first moment, was the infectious excitement Trustees, faculty, staff and students have about their college. The people here are really jazzed about the secret sauce that is Union. And at the same time, they are clear-eyed about the challenges facing small liberal arts colleges today.
“The combination of acknowledging that we’re going to have to keep working hard, as everyone has been doing under David’s outstanding leadership, and that we have something precious and unique to offer, is exciting.”
During her tenure at Agnes Scott, the college set new highs for enrollment and retention, and emerged as a national leader in campus sustainability. She also oversaw the creation of Summit, a signature program for all students focused on global learning and leadership development; led increased investment in athletics; and championed new programs in public health, sustainability and business management.
While Kiss was president, Agnes Scott completed the largest fundraising campaign in its history, was named one of America’s most innovative national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report and received the American Council of Education’s Award for Institutional Transformation. Kiss’ leadership also was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education, which named her one of the most influential people in U.S. higher education in 2017.
Building on Union’s momentum
“Elizabeth is an enthusiastic and optimistic leader who perfectly fit the profile of what we were looking for in our next president,” said Rich Delaney ‘80, who chaired the presidential search committee. “Across her deep experience in higher education, she has proven to be a collaborative and innovative leader, traits that will serve her well at Union.”
In doing her research on Union, Kiss said she was struck by the College’s vision statement that calls for “developing every student to lead with wisdom, empathy and courage.”
“That language tugged at my soul,” Kiss said. “It captures the heart of how a liberal education prepares students for today’s world. There’s no doubt this is a tough time for higher education, and I think it’s time for all of us to put our shoulder to the wheel and stand up for our values.”
Kiss spoke with passion about many of the signature aspects of the Union experience, including the College’s deep commitment to undergraduate research and the breadth of study abroad opportunities.
She also praised Union’s athletic programs and the city of Schenectady, which she noted for its history of innovation and for more recent efforts to “reinvent itself” as a dynamic regional hub.
“When I was at Agnes Scott, we invested in strengthening what was still a small athletics program, so it’s exciting to be part of a community where one-third of our students are varsity athletes and we have both D-III and D-I programs,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being a big fan of the Garnet Chargers!”
Kiss is the daughter of Hungarian refugees who fled to the U.S. in 1956 following the Hungarian Revolution, a revolt against the former Soviet Union’s control of the country. She is married to Jeff Holzgrefe, an academic who most recently taught at Oxford University, where he was a member of the Department of Politics and International Relations and the Blavatnik School of Government.
“Jeff is very excited to join me at Union. We both love the idea of being on a college campus and are keen to join a college that’s on the move in a community that’s on the move.”
The pair love the beauty of upstate New York and Kiss says she’s looking forward to tackling some Adirondack “high peaks.”