President Emeritus Henry S. Bienen served as Northwestern’s 15th president and returned on September 16, 2025, to serve as interim president. A nationally recognized leader in higher education, Interim President Bienen led Northwestern to increased academic prominence, research prowess, financial strength and athletic success during his tenure. Among other posts, he served as Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
He received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Northwestern University in 2009. In 2008, Northwestern’s Board of Trustees honored Henry Bienen and his wife, Leigh, a senior lecturer emerita at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, by naming the University’s School of Music the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music.