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This Week At Lehman Graphic
Office of the Provost's email digest—Spring 2018
Dear Colleagues:

Recently, a number of announcements signaling changes in the Division of Academic Affairs have circulated in the College community. By now, you have received an email from Dr. Stefan Becker, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, announcing his appointment as Provost, Ramapo College beginning in July 2018. I am thrilled for Stefan and wish him the best. I am also both delighted and relieved that Dr. Vincent Prohaska, Professor of Psychology, has agreed to take on the role of Interim Vice Provost (contingent, of course, upon his approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees).

Having held several roles across his eight years at Lehman, Stefan has left his mark. Early in his tenure, as the Chair of Earth, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences, and then as Interim Dean of NSS, he was already engaging in work he would take up later as Vice Provost: fostering faculty mentoring and collaboration, working to increase student enrollment, and encouraging new approaches to boosting student success. As Vice Provost, Stefan achieved even more on behalf of students and faculty: developing implementing better ways to assess general education learning outcomes; facilitating changes in the curriculum to create more learning opportunities for students, and leading the initiative to assess and expand experiential learning at Lehman.

Vinny Prohaska is the ideal person to take up this mantle. As Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, he worked closely with Stefan on many initiatives led by the Office of the Vice Provost, including the General Education and learning assessments. He was part of a team, led by Stefan, that developed the concept of the "educated, engaged, and empowered" Lehman student, and the learning objectives that support it. He collaborated with Stefan on revising existing curricula, as well as creating an experimental LEH course, experiential learning opportunities, and a new interdisciplinary minor in Data Science. Vinny’s own words express best his deep investment in the success of both students and faculty, and his understanding of how mutually dependent they are: "Why do I want the interim position? … I am committed to the curricular goals that we’ve been pursuing, to producing ‘educated, engaged, and empowered’ graduates, and to implementing innovative programs, pedagogies, and practices."

So, as we wave a fond farewell to Stefan Becker, please join me in welcoming Vinny Prohaska to the third floor of Shuster Hall.


The Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs is the College's chief academic officer. The Provost is responsible for all educational programs, as well as for academic issues that relate to the faculty, including appointments, promotions, and evaluations. She also is responsible for preparing accreditation reviews, strategic planning, and the review of division and departmental budgets. Questions? Email alison.abreu@lehman.cuny.edu or call 718-960-8222.