Dear NYU Steinhardt Community,
Welcome to the start of the spring 2022 semester!
As we begin another semester that will require our collective patience and perseverance, I am heartened by our community’s demonstrated flexibility and considerable experience in overcoming challenges. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished thus far this academic year, including several prestigious awards for faculty, staff and students; inspiring performances and exhibitions; innovations in online and in-person teaching and clinical practice; and record levels of research activity.
Thankfully, the trajectory for COVID cases is beginning to decline in New York City, but to ensure everyone’s safety, we will continue to have robust health protocols, including testing, vaccination requirements, and mandatory masking. I am confident that we will work together to rise to the occasion once again as we resume in-person classes, research activities, and school operations.
I am pleased to share a number of other updates with you.
Strategic Planning
As I shared in my State of the School presentation last semester, we have been making progress on the goals outlined in our NYU Steinhardt Strategic Framework, identifying
- areas of overlap or commonality across departments, centers, and units, as well as particularly unique ideas,
- goals which can be acted upon in the short term,
- medium- and longer-term resource needs and associated planning requirements,
- ideas for School-wide advisory groups related to each goal.
On this last point, I am pleased to announce that we have formed five, School-wide, advisory groups, one for each goal area outlined in our framework, with representation from faculty, students, and administrators across departments, centers, and units. These five groups have been charged with reviewing the strategic plans of departments and units to find areas of potential school-wide coordination; suggesting ideas for school-wide initiatives related to the strategic goal area; and making recommendations to school leadership about future priorities.
The advisory groups will be meeting throughout the semester. Please be in touch with the group leaders with any ideas you may have:
- Values-driven leadership: Jordan Wright, with LaRue Allen
- Academic and artistic excellence: Kristie Patten
- Innovation: Noel S. Anderson
- Social impact: Elise Cappella, with Lauren Brown
- Global engagement: Lisa Sasson
Leadership
Our search for a new Vice Dean for Equity, Belonging, and Community Action is underway. Led by Professor Shondel Nero, the search committee is composed of faculty, staff, and students from across our school. I am grateful for the committee’s willingness to assist in recruiting an outstanding leader to serve our school in this important capacity. The advertisement for this position has been circulated widely, and we encourage you to share it with your networks as well. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2022.
I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel K. Choi, Ph.D. to the role of Associate Dean for the Steinhardt Office of Student Affairs, effective March 7, 2022. In this role, he will report to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Kristie Patten.
Dr. Choi’s career has focused on supporting students and their success. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the LEAD Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, Dr. Choi is no stranger to NYU. During his time here, he held positions at the Tandon School of Engineering as the Director of the Office of Student Activities and Resource Center and then as the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Within NYU Steinhardt, he was a Research Associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy. He also worked in NYU’s Department of Residential Life and Housing Services, where he received multiple departmental awards for his contributions. Dr. Choi earned his PhD in Higher Education at NYU Steinhardt and a Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration in Student Affairs from the Rossier School of Education at USC. He also recently received a second master’s degree in Dispute Resolution from USC’s Gould School of Law.
I am grateful to the members of the search committee - Shanieka Brooks, Michelle Corinne Egli, Tanya Gary, Zachary Klim, Elizabeth Kuzina, Kate Legnetti, Nija Leocadio, Ying Lu, Shondel Nero, Kristie Patten, TJ Pegg, and Jane Sullivan - for their outstanding work to fill this pivotal role within our school.
Please join me in welcoming Daniel to his new role in the Steinhardt Community.
As we begin this new semester, I thank you in advance for your flexibility over these next couple of weeks and for all your hard work in getting us safely to this point. Your creativity and initiative over the past almost two years is a testament to the excellence and resiliency of NYU Steinhardt. We are all navigating the path forward, and we’re navigating it together. Thank you for being an invaluable part of our community.
Jack H. Knott, Dean
Gale and Ira Drukier Chair