Daniel J. Socolow

President of The American University of Paris, 1983–89

Daniel J. Socolow was President of AUP for a six-year tenure from 1983 to 1989. Prior to his arrival, Socolow served as Vice President of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and, from 1978 to 1980, he was an advisor to the National Institute of Education. He also headed research projects for the Ford Foundation and created the first Canadian Studies program in the United States. He holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin, an MA in Teaching of English and Educational Planning from Harvard University, a PhD in Sociology and Comparative Education from the University of Chicago, and an honorary degree from The American University of Paris. 

During his time at ACP, Socolow was pivotal in ensuring the institution’s long-term future. He oversaw the change in name of ACP to The American University of Paris, emphasizing the need to be of the city – part of its vibrant, international fabric – rather than simply in it. Speaking to the AUP Magazine in 2017, Socolow commented: “My vision from day one was that an institution fully in Paris, with a multinational faculty and student body, could be something spectacular, as long as we could embody the best qualities of an American education with people from all over the world. I saw this as a challenge of building an institution that could be one-of-a-kind, an experiment, a real international institution.” 

After leaving AUP, Socolow worked as President of the Socolow Group and as a Senior Advisor and Director of Programs in the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center. In 1997, he became Director of the MacArthur Fellows Program.