Bruce Alexander Retires

An era in town-gown relations is ending with the retirement of Bruce Alexander, Yale’s top official dedicated to relations with New Haven.

Alexander plans to retire next month as the university’s vice president for New Haven and state affairs, Yale President Peter Salovey announced Thursday in a community-wide email.

Alexander has held the job for two decades. Former Yale President Rick Levin brought him on board to oversee a 180-degree shift in the university’s approach to New Haven — from sealing the campus behind a moat to diving into joint efforts to develop the city, especially in neighborhoods near the campus.

Salovey announced that he will split up Alexander’s duties. Lauren Zucker, the current associate vice-president under Alexander, ​“will assume responsibility for New Haven affairs.” Read Salovey’s full email message below for the rest of the doling-out plan.

This is Alexander’s second retirement. Levin brought him out of his first retirement, as an executive with the mall-building Rouse Corporation. Under Alexander’s stewardship at Yale, the university bought up and developed the Broadway commercial district, assumed control of the College Street district, created an employee homebuyer program, developed a new science campus on the former Bayer property in New Haven, and partnered with business elites to market major regional events. Yale has expanded its real-estate efforts into the Dixwell neighborhood.

Over the past two decades, Alexander developed deep and long-lasting relationships with many movers and shakers in town.

At times Alexander has sought to impede live music venues from being part of New Haven’s commercial mix. Click here to read how the Harp administration outmaneuvered him to bring the College Street Music Hall to the vacant former Palace theater; and here to read about Yale’s ongoing battles with Toad’s Place. Alexander also helped lead an attack on state lawmakers who sought to tax some of Yale’s profit-making ​“nonprofit” properties.

Salovey’s email message follows:

To the Yale Community,

I write to inform you that Bruce Alexander ​’65 has shared with me his plans to retire in June 2018 from his role as vice president for New Haven and state affairs and campus development. In a remarkable twenty years of service to this university, Bruce has played a major role in the revitalization of New Haven, helped shape and steward our campus, and built valuable partnerships with local and state communities. I am pleased that Bruce has agreed to stay at the university on a part-time basis to work on special projects for our community.

It is difficult to capture the extent and diversity of Bruce’s responsibilities. Appointed in 1998 as Yale’s first vice president of New Haven and state affairs, his role has expanded to include his oversight of campus facilities planning, construction, and operations. He has worked collaboratively with partners in local and state government, as well as community leaders and organizations, to bring jobs, resources, and greater prosperity to the city of New Haven. Thanks to Bruce’s leadership, Yale and New Haven are enjoying the benefits of careful planning and thoughtful investments in our community and its people.

In recent years, New Haven has experienced a wonderful renaissance: new retail, dining, and cultural attractions help make our campus and surrounding neighborhoods exciting places to live and visit, and the university has been a leader in this effort. Under Bruce’s direction, Yale University Properties, which manages the university’s commercial projects, has made a significant contribution to the city’s revitalization through its community investment program. The program also has made Yale one of the largest real estate taxpayers in the city of New Haven. At the ​“Shops at Yale,” national retailers — such as Apple, Patagonia, and soon-to-open L.L. Bean — are flourishing alongside local, independent merchants and restaurateurs in over 100 storefronts. These retail and dining districts, including Broadway, the Chapel Street Historic District, and the Whitney Avenue Arts District, provide jobs and city taxes as well as help to create safe and vibrant neighborhoods.

Bruce has steered Yale’s physical growth and campus development with tremendous wisdom and foresight, bringing his deep understanding of the university’s mission and legacy to every decision and opportunity. His accomplishments include negotiating the purchase of the 136-acre Bayer complex — today our home for cutting-edge, scientific, medical, and interdisciplinary research at Yale West Campus. His leadership and expertise were essential as we planned and executed the construction of two new residential colleges. In partnership with the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods, he led the development of the Rose Center, containing the Yale police department, community learning center and meeting space, the Yale Health and New Haven Reads buildings, and an expanded Scantlebury community park — all anchored by new university commitments to nearby Science Park. He acquired for the university two blocks of Wall Street, which will be closed and landscaped to improve the pedestrian experience in the heart of our campus.

Understanding the symbiotic relationship between New Haven and Yale, Bruce cultivated several key partnerships with our host city. Under his leadership, the Yale Homebuyer Program has grown, helping university employees purchase homes and stabilizing city neighborhoods. With the Yale unions, he established New Haven Works to help city residents find employment at the university and throughout the region. A tremendous ambassador for Yale, Bruce has worked productively with mayors, alders, state officials, and community members to accomplish shared goals. At the state level, he has served as chair of the Transportation Strategy Board for the State of Connecticut as well as on the state’s Commission for Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth.

Bruce has always understood the importance of Yale’s investment in the city’s youngest residents. During his tenure, Yale established New Haven Promise, which provides college scholarships for the city’s eligible public school students. Through partnerships with New Haven public schools and in summer and school-year enrichment programs, such as Pathways to Science and Pathways to Arts & Humanities, Bruce and his team have developed new and creative ways for the Yale community to contribute to the lives of young people in our city.

Bruce, a resident of Berkeley College as an undergraduate, earned his law degree from Duke University. He returned to Yale after retiring from the Rouse Company in Baltimore. At Rouse, he led the division that developed major revitalization projects across the United States, including Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. At Yale, in addition to his other administrative responsibilities, Bruce on two occasions was acting vice president for finance and administration, assumed responsibility for Yale Hospitality and its bargaining unit employees in 2015, and has taught courses in real estate as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management.

Bruce and his late wife, Christine, were active in civic and philanthropic efforts in Baltimore, and they continued their deep community engagement in New Haven. Bruce helped found and now chairs the board of Market New Haven, an organization dedicated to promoting the city and creating events to support downtown, and has served on many boards including the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Yale New Haven Hospital, and the Community Foundation. Bruce has been honored with the Community Leadership Award from the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the ​“Communiversity Award” from the Black and Hispanic Caucus of the Board of Alders, the Mory’s Cup Award for ​“conspicuous service to Yale,” and the Yale Athletics George H. W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award. Along with Christine, the volunteer founder and executive director of New Haven Reads, he received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from the United Way for their philanthropic contributions to the community.

When Bruce retires, Jack Callahan (senior vice president for operations) and Alex Dreier (senior vice president for institutional affairs, general counsel, and senior counselor to the president) will oversee areas that reported to Bruce and work with the talented professionals who have been Bruce’s colleagues for many years. Lauren Zucker (associate vice president for New Haven affairs and University Properties) will assume responsibility for New Haven affairs. John Bollier (associate vice president for facilities) will have oversight of campus planning and facilities. Rafi Taherian (associate vice president for Yale Hospitality) will continue to lead our dining and hospitality operations. They will report to Jack Callahan. Richard Jacob (associate vice president for federal and state relations) will carry on Bruce’s work with the state of Connecticut under Alex Dreier’s direction. I am grateful to Lauren, John, Rafi, and Rich, as they complete the transition of these responsibilities.

In closing, I want to express my deepest appreciation to Bruce for his outstanding service to Yale. For years to come, our students, faculty, and staff will benefit from his wise leadership and the many ways he has strengthened our campus and community. I know you join me as I wish Bruce all the best in his well-deserved retirement, and I am delighted he will remain in New Haven and on a part-time basis at the university.

Sincerely,

Peter Salovey
President and Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology