I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees voted earlier this afternoon to appoint Joseph R. Franco, PhD, as our new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
Dr. Franco has served ably as interim provost since last summer. In even that short time, he has proven himself to be not only a collegial and compassionate leader but also someone deeply committed to the success of everyone in our Pace Community—our students, our staff, and our faculty. It is clear he brings to this role wisdom, experience, and a deep well of respect across the institution.
A member of the Pace faculty since 1987, Dr. Franco is a full professor in the Psychology and Mental Health Counseling Department on the Pleasantville Campus. He has served as associate provost for academic affairs, senior associate dean for Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Westchester Faculty Council, among many other leadership roles. He has taught on the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, and he has served as program director and director of clinical field supervision for the master of science program in Mental Health Counseling. Last year, he was honored with our Jefferson Award for Public Service.
Dr. Franco is also a practicing clinician who is a licensed mental health counselor, a nationally certified counselor, and a past downstate president for the New York Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. A native New Yorker, he holds a BS in Psychology from Mercy College, two MS degrees from Long Island University, and an MPhil and PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center.
I am very excited to continue to work with Dr. Franco, and I am confident that you all join me in congratulating him. I also express my gratitude to the search committee, co-chaired by Robina Schepp and Professor Vince Barrella, for its excellent work, and to everyone who participated in the processes. We’ll be scheduling receptions to honor Provost Franco on all three campuses soon.
