Remembering Dr. Samuel O. Thier
Former Brandeis president, healthcare executive led university in early 1990s.
January 7, 2026
The Brandeis community was saddened to learn of the recent death of former President Dr. Samuel O. Thier.
Thier, 88, served as university president from 1991- 94, when he left to assume the presidency of Massachusetts General Hospital. He died Saturday, Jan. 3.
During his time at Brandeis, Thier opened the Intercultural Center and shepherded the construction of the Volen National Center for Complex Systems and the Shapiro Admissions Center. Thier served on the Heller School Board of Advisors from Jan. 2008 to Oct. 2016. He was chair of the board from Feb. 2009 to Feb. 2015.
“The Brandeis community mourns the passing of Dr. Thier, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” said Brandeis President Arthur Levine ’70. “His tenure at Brandeis was brief but his contributions to the institution represent a legacy of change and expansion that continues on our campus today. May his memory always be a blessing.”
Lisa Kranc ’75, chair of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, said Thier’s impact still resonates today.
“Dr. Thier brought to Brandeis a unique blend of academic brilliance and administrative know-how,” she said. “He brought a steady hand to the university’s finances, while overseeing record growth in graduate school applications and the development of a new undergraduate curriculum.”
Karen Donelan, the Stuart H. Altman Professor and Chair in US Health Policy and co-director of the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research, Institute on Healthcare Systems at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, said Thier was a highly respected clinician, researcher and leader at four Ivy League schools: Harvard, Yale, UPenn and Cornell. He also presided over the unprecedented early merger of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital to form Partners Healthcare, Donelan noted.
“His presence at Brandeis was a mark of his dedication to both undergraduate and graduate education, and to the importance of research and teaching in the formation of brilliant scholars,” she said. “He loved teaching health policy at Brandeis and returned for many years.”
