Leadership Profile

S. David Wu, PhD
President

Dr. S. David Wu became the eighth president of Baruch College in 2020, making history as the first Asian American to lead a CUNY institution.

From the start of his tenure, President Wu has made it his mission to ensure Baruch College provides an affordable, world-class education that transforms lives and expands opportunities. His leadership has elevated Baruch to national prominence, earning the College widespread acclaim for its exceptional quality and accessibility. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and U.S. News & World Report have all recognized Baruch as a top public institution. In 2025, Baruch was named the best public college in the Northeast and ranked as the number one best-value university in the U.S. by The Wall Street Journal—the College also received the number one best-value accolade in 2024. Additionally, The New York Times highlighted Baruch as a “model college” and an “Upward Mobility Machine.”

Under his leadership, Baruch has emerged as a beacon of excellence and impact. Since 2021, applications have increased by 26 percent and student enrollment has grown by 12 percent, bringing total enrollment to more than 20,000 students. This remarkable growth is a striking exception to the nationwide decline in higher education enrollment trends. To accommodate this growth, President Wu spearheaded efforts to secure additional instructional and professional education space for the College, while accelerating renovation and capital improvement initiatives.

President Wu’s efforts to increase Baruch’s reach, forge strategic partnerships, and challenge traditional higher education paradigms have earned him recognition as one of the Top 50 U.S. College and University Presidents. He has also been included on City & State’s “Manhattan Power 100” and “50 Over 50 Lifetime Achievement Award” lists. In 2024, the New York State Senate celebrated him as a champion of opportunity, excellence, and transformative outcomes.

Fostering Community and Driving Innovation

With bold vision, President Wu led the creation of Together, We Are Unstoppable—Baruch’s ambitious five-year strategic plan. It outlines concrete steps and actions to propel the College toward its aspirational goal of becoming a national model of access and excellence. By harnessing the vibrancy of New York City and Baruch’s rising prominence, the plan positions the College to drive meaningful impact on a national scale.

His leadership has been the guiding force behind bold initiatives at Baruch that emphasize collaboration and community. Programs like Respectful Dialogue Series foster a campus-wide sense of belonging while creating forums for open dialogue and respectful conversations. These initiatives empower students to celebrate diversity, broaden their perspectives, and engage in meaningful exchanges that help create understanding around cultural, religious, and ideological differences.

In addition to cultivating a thriving campus community, President Wu has positioned Baruch at the forefront of technological and workforce advancement. Through the College’s Artificial Intelligence Think Tank and the development of the AI Hub at Baruch, he and a cohort of experts are driving groundbreaking research and education, providing students with unique opportunities to explore AI, and collaborating with industry leaders to shape the next generation of workforce with the skills needed to stay ahead in an AI-powered era.

A Visionary Leader and Renowned Scholar

President Wu’s leadership embodies a commitment to innovation, academic excellence, and the limitless power of higher learning. In partnership with Baruch’s exceptional faculty, staff, and supporters, he is shaping a bold vision for the College—one that builds on its core values of excellence and impact. With this collaborative effort, Baruch is gaining momentum, equipping graduates to thrive and lead in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Before joining Baruch, Dr. Wu served as Provost and Executive Vice President of George Mason University from 2014 to 2020. During his tenure, George Mason experienced historic growth in academic programs and research impact, culminating in its designation as the youngest Carnegie Research 1 university. Prior to George Mason, he was Dean and the Iacocca Professor of Engineering at Lehigh University, where he established himself as a dynamic leader.

Dr. Wu’s distinguished career as a scholar and academic leader informs his innovative vision for Baruch. An accomplished scholar in systems engineering and operations research, Dr. Wu has published extensively on game theory, optimization, and high-tech infusion. Outcomes from his research, which was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense, and Sandia National Laboratories, have been implemented at leading firms such as Intel, HP, and IBM. A Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Dr. Wu’s intellectual property has been licensed and used in high-tech and large-scale planning projects, including collaborations with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

He has served on the board of Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering and on advisory boards and panels of prestigious organizations, including the NSF, the Science Foundation of Ireland, the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, and the Science & Engineering Research Council of Singapore.

Dr. Wu earned his MS and PhD from Pennsylvania State University and has held visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.