Michael Schill

Michael Schill
Born	Michael Harry Schill 30 9, 1958
Birthplace	Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Legal scholar, university administrator
Title	Former President of Northwestern University
Known for	17th President of Northwestern University; 18th President of the University of Oregon; Dean of the University of Chicago Law School; Dean of UCLA School of Law
Education	Princeton University (BA) Yale University (JD)

Michael Harry Schill (born September 30, 1958) is an American legal scholar and university administrator whose career has spanned several of the most prominent academic institutions in the United States. He served as the 17th president of Northwestern University from September 2022 until his resignation in September 2025, a tenure shaped by campus controversies ranging from an athletics hazing scandal to intense national debates over antisemitism and campus protest policy. Before Northwestern, Schill served as the 18th president of the University of Oregon from 2015 to 2022, the 13th dean of the University of Chicago Law School from 2009 to 2015, and dean of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law from 2004 to 2009. A scholar of real estate law, housing policy, and discrimination in the housing market, Schill is the co-author of a best-selling property law casebook used widely in American legal education.

Early Life

Michael Harry Schill was born on September 30, 1958, in Schenectady, New York. He grew up in the northeastern United States and went on to pursue higher education at two Ivy League institutions.

Education

Schill earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University. He subsequently obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) from Yale Law School. His legal training at Yale provided the foundation for a career that would encompass both legal scholarship and academic leadership across multiple elite universities.

Career

Early Academic Career and Scholarship

Before assuming major administrative positions, Schill established himself as a scholar of property law, real estate, housing policy, and discrimination in the housing market. He authored three books and numerous academic articles on these subjects. Among his published works is Housing and Community Development in New York City, which examined housing policy challenges in one of the nation's most complex urban markets. He also contributed research on New York City housing costs through the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.

His casebook, Property, co-authored with Jesse Dukeminier, James Krier, Greg Alexander, and Lior Strahilevitz, became one of the best-selling casebooks used in American law schools, establishing Schill as a prominent voice in property law education. His scholarship was listed in the Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) database, reflecting his contributions to law and economics discourse.

Dean of UCLA School of Law (2004–2009)

In 2004, Schill was appointed dean of the UCLA School of Law, a position he held until 2009. During his five-year tenure at UCLA, Schill oversaw one of the top-ranked public law schools in the United States. The deanship at UCLA marked his first major administrative role and established his credentials as a university leader capable of managing a large, research-intensive law school.

Dean of the University of Chicago Law School (2009–2015)

In 2009, Schill was appointed the 13th dean of the University of Chicago Law School, one of the most prominent law schools in the country and a leading center for law and economics scholarship. The appointment brought him to an institution with a long tradition of interdisciplinary legal scholarship and close ties to the broader University of Chicago intellectual community.

During his tenure as dean, Schill launched significant academic initiatives. He oversaw the creation of the "Law and Economics 2.0" initiative, which sought to expand the University of Chicago Law School's foundational contributions to the law and economics movement by incorporating new methodological approaches and areas of inquiry. He also emphasized public service as a core component of legal education at the school.

Schill served as dean at Chicago for six years, during which time the school maintained its position among the highest-ranked law schools in the United States. His faculty profile at the institution highlighted his ongoing scholarship in real estate and housing law alongside his administrative duties.

President of the University of Oregon (2015–2022)

In 2015, Schill was selected as the 18th president of the University of Oregon, succeeding Michael R. Gottfredson. He assumed office on July 1, 2015, and was formally invested in the role during an investiture ceremony. The appointment represented a significant transition, as Schill moved from leading a professional school to heading a comprehensive public research university with a student body of more than 20,000.

Schill's presidency at Oregon was marked by an emphasis on several strategic priorities. He articulated a set of priorities and initiatives for the university that focused on academic excellence, student success, and institutional growth. Among his signature efforts was "The Oregon Commitment," a program he unveiled at his first all-campus address that aimed to improve access and affordability for students at the university.

After one year in office, reporting by The Oregonian noted that Schill had brought a focus on academic advancement and institutional ambition to the university. In 2018, he outlined further priorities centered on student success and other institutional goals.

Schill served as president of the University of Oregon for seven years, departing on August 20, 2022, to assume the presidency of Northwestern University. He was succeeded at Oregon by Karl Scholz.

President of Northwestern University (2022–2025)

On September 12, 2022, Schill became the 17th president of Northwestern University, succeeding Morton O. Schapiro. His appointment had been announced by the Board of Trustees less than two months before the start of the 2022–2023 school year.

Schill's three-year tenure at Northwestern was characterized by a series of significant controversies and challenges. The Daily Northwestern described it as a "tenure of turmoil."

Athletics Hazing Scandal

One of the defining crises of Schill's presidency involved the Northwestern football program. The university faced a major scandal related to hazing allegations within the football team, which ultimately led to the departure of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald. The situation generated national media attention and raised questions about institutional oversight of athletic programs. The university reached a settlement related to the matter in the weeks preceding Schill's resignation.

Campus Protests and Antisemitism Controversies

Schill's presidency also coincided with heightened national debate over antisemitism on college campuses, particularly following escalating tensions in the Middle East. Northwestern faced scrutiny over its handling of campus protests and allegations of antisemitism. These issues attracted attention from federal officials, including the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI). Walberg continued to press issues related to Northwestern and protest activity in the Evanston area even after Schill's departure, requesting a briefing with the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, over protests near the campus.

The Forward reported that Schill, who is Jewish, faced particular tension with the White House over the university's handling of antisemitism allegations on campus. The intersection of campus protest policy, free speech, and institutional responses to antisemitism became one of the most complex and politically charged issues confronting university presidents across the country during this period, and Schill was among those administrators most directly affected.

Resignation

On September 4, 2025, Schill announced that he would step down from the presidency of Northwestern University. No specific departure date was initially given, but it was indicated that Schill would remain in the role until an interim or permanent successor could be identified. His last day as president was September 15, 2025. Former Northwestern president Henry Bienen was named as interim president following Schill's departure.

The resignation drew national attention and commentary. Forbes noted that Schill's departure represented another in a string of university presidencies that ended amid the pressures facing higher education leaders during this period. Chairman Walberg released a statement following the resignation.

Following Schill's departure, Northwestern's Board of Trustees launched a presidential search process. The Northwestern Presidential Search Committee held 15 listening sessions with the university community during the winter of 2025–2026 and advanced to the next phase of the search process in early 2026.

Personal Life

Schill is Jewish. He was born and raised in Schenectady, New York. Publicly available information about his personal and family life beyond his professional career is limited.

Legacy

Michael Schill's career reflects the increasingly complex pressures facing American university administrators in the 21st century. Over a period of more than two decades, he held deanships at two of the country's top law schools—UCLA and the University of Chicago—and served as president of two major research universities. His scholarly contributions to property law, particularly through his co-authored casebook Property, have had a lasting impact on legal education in the United States, with the text remaining a standard reference in law school curricula.

His seven-year presidency at the University of Oregon was the longest of his administrative tenures and was defined in part by initiatives aimed at improving student access and institutional academic standing. His shorter tenure at Northwestern, by contrast, was dominated by crises—from the football hazing scandal to the politically charged debates over campus antisemitism and protest—that reflected broader national tensions affecting higher education. The circumstances of his resignation underscored the volatility of the modern university presidency, particularly at institutions facing simultaneous scrutiny from political actors, media, students, and federal oversight bodies.

The succession of university presidents who stepped down during this period, of which Schill was a notable example, prompted broader discussion in higher education circles about the sustainability of the presidential role and the competing demands placed on academic leaders.