Dear Members of the TC Community,

It is with great pleasure that I share the appointment of Dr. Noah D. Drezner as TC’s new Senior Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Academic Strategy effective July 1, 2026. After serving as the inaugural Vice Dean for Academic Success and Strategy, Noah will be stepping into a new consolidated role that encompasses both his previous position and the responsibilities of the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs.

Through this work, he will steward faculty personnel processes and drive strategic academic innovation, and continue to collaborate closely with senior leadership, faculty governance, and administrative offices to enhance institutional excellence across our graduate programs. Additionally, he will be responsible for overseeing student academic adjudication processes with attention to equitable process, institutional standards, and policy compliance; providing guidance for doctoral studies administration and doctoral education initiatives, including co-leading the Future of Doctoral Education Study Group and coordination with the Office of Doctoral Studies; and developing and implementing data-informed student success and academic progress systems. 

A longtime leader within the TC community and former chair of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), Noah is a Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Organization and Leadership. His research and teaching are deeply rooted in the context of higher education’s public good and civic mission. Nationally and internationally recognized as a leading researcher on educational philanthropy, his work focuses on philanthropy and fundraising in higher education with particular attention to how a person’s social identities affect their alumni participation and ways postsecondary institutions can engage their alumni in more inclusive ways. Additionally, Noah is founding editor of Philanthropy & Education (Indiana University Press) and author of seven books. His research and service has been recognized with awards by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Teachers College, the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Rochester, and the University of Pennsylvania.

We are delighted to have him on the team in this position.

Sincerely,

KerryAnn O'Meara 
Provost and Dean of the College
Professor of Higher Education
Teachers College, Columbia University
she/her/hers