Brian W. Casey, President, DePauw University 2008-2016 papers

Nineteenth President of DePauw University.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Casey earned a BA in philosophy and economics at the University of Notre Dame, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude. Casey went on to earn his JD from Stanford University Law School, where he graduated with honors. After beginning his career as an attorney with the Wall Street firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, Casey earned his PhD in the history of American civilization from Harvard University.

As a former captain of Notre Dame’s varsity swim team and the school’s 1985 “Scholar-Athlete of the Year,” Casey recognizes and appreciates the fine balance between academics and athletics.

He is known for relating well with students. “I had many conversations with students who wanted an energetic, visible, and involved president,” said Joanna Howe ’16, one of three student representatives on the search committee. “Brian encompasses exactly what we were looking for in a campus leader. He has a contagious energy, and his genuine care for students and student life is obvious. I was especially impressed when he told me he gets up and does morning practice with the swim team, and that he has dinners with students at his house and an open door policy for students to come talk to him. I’m so excited to welcome him!”

Prior to his appointment at DePauw in 2008, Casey served as associate dean for academic affairs in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, leading faculty recruitment and development, as well as strategic academic planning.

Previously, as assistant provost at Brown University, he spearheaded a multidisciplinary approach to the study of commerce and entrepreneurship. He was a key figure in efforts to develop academic programs with Brown’s neighbor, the Rhode Island School of Design. He also helped to develop an international seminar that brought together faculty, students, and visiting fellows involved in the study of America’s past, across the departments of history, English, American civilization, anthropology, and Africana studies, and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.

As DePauw’s president, Casey has led an intense, comprehensive, and successful period of growth through DePauw 2020: The Plan for DePauw, a multi-year strategic plan for the university. He also led efforts to develop a comprehensive campus master plan, and, with the faculty, established a new general education curriculum. Under his leadership, DePauw has made major investments in academic programs, campus projects, student advising and postgraduate planning, as well as DePauw’s home city, Greencastle, Ind., and established and secured more than $56 million for The DePauw Trust, a dedicated endowment to support need-based financial aid.

To support student outcomes, Casey directed the creation of DePauw’s Hubbard Center for Student Engagement, a centralized home for comprehensive advising for off-campus study, internships, career planning, and pre-professional and graduate school preparation.

Less than a year after the October 2014 public launch of The Campaign for DePauw, the university had raised more than $220 million toward a $300 million goal. Casey has also led DePauw through six straight years of balanced budgets and saw a 51 percent increase in its endowment since 2008.