Dr. Munitz received his bachelor's degree in Classics and Comparative Literature from Brooklyn College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University. He is the new chairman of the American Council on Education, the umbrella Washington association for the nation's colleges and universities, and chaired the search committee for ACE's new president.
Although most of his career has been devoted to academic administration, Dr. Munitz worked for nine years as an executive in the private sector before selection as Chancellor. He was President and Chief Operating Officer of Federated Development Company, the largest shareholder of a Fortune 200 company in the aluminum (Kaiser), lumber (Pacific Lumber), and real estate business.
Dr. Munitz was for five years Chancellor of the University of Houston main campus. He has also served as Academic Vice President of the University of Illinois System, and as Assistant to Clark Kerr at the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Higher Education. He has been involved in a wide range of educational activities, including a national panel analyzing new research strategies, chairing a visiting committee studying Radcliffe's organization, and teaching about President-Trustee relations for the Association of Governing Boards.
He is active as a member of several national, civic, and corporate boards, including the board of directors of KCET and SunAmerica, Inc., and has chaired since 1992 the California Education Round Table, an association of the chief executives of California's educational segments. Dr. Munitz has written, consulted, and spoken widely on the topics of academic leadership, governing board relationships, and a range of higher education issues.
