The New School Service Initiative was undertaken by the university's Process Improvement Office during the presidency of David Van Zandt.

In 2011, David Van Zandt, previously the dean of Northwestern University School of Law, succeeded New School President Bob Kerrey, who had led The New School since 2001. Van Zandt’s presidency saw a restructuring of the university, reducing the divisions from eight to five, as well as a restructure of central administration, in particular an increase in the size and power of the provost’s office under Tim Marshall, former dean of Parsons School of Design (one of The New School's five colleges). Van Zandt’s tenure was also notable for its efforts to further centralize the university campus, with Mannes School of Music and the Parsons School of Fashion moving to the university's main campus in Greenwich Village and the opening of the University Center at 63 Fifth Avenue Avenue in 2014. In 2017, academic student workers were unionized into SENS-UAW, who in 2018 went on strike alongside the school’s cafeteria workers.

Van Zandt was succeeded in April of 2020 by Dwight A. McBride, who had served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Emory University. Starting his term shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, McBride’s short tenure was plagued with issues, including discontent around his management of the pandemic, in particular the decision to lay off 122 staff members in 2020 and a month-long strike by part-time faculty members during the 2022 fall semester. McBride stepped down as president in 2023, succeeded by interim president, Donna Shalala.