Syracuse University

Kal Alston is Senior Vice President for Human Capital Development. Her responsibilities include academic resource planning, faculty services and support, and academic policy development.  She is invested in helping academic units leverage all resources and create fruitful collaborations, inside and outside of the University, to broaden the academic impact on and for faculty and students. She is senior advisor to the Provost and academic liaison to business, legal, and public affairs units in the University. She is also a Professor in Cultural Foundations of Education and Women’s and Gender Studies. Kal received her A.B. from Dartmouth College and her Ph.D. in philosophy of education from University of Chicago.  Kal can be reached at (315) 443-5525.

Sandra “Sandy” Hurd is the Associate Provost for Academic Programs. She is responsible for promoting and strengthening undergraduate curricula, instruction, and advising,as well as developing innovative interdisciplinary, inter-college, and all-University Programs through collaboration and cooperation among campus units. Sandy has direct oversight for the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, Project Advance, the Academic Integrity Office, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Tutoring andStudy Center, and the Office of Disability Services, as well as the University’s Learning Communities academic programs. Sandy also holds the position of Professor of Law and Public Policy and is a core faculty member of the Renee Crown Honors Program. She has a B.A. in English from Wells College and a J.D. in Law from Syracuse University. Sandy can be reached at (315) 443-1899.

Bruce Kingma is the Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a Professor in the School of Information Studies (iSchool). As Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Professor Kingma leads initiatives at Syracuse University in entrepreneurship and community engagement,  including the Syracuse Campus-Community Entrepreneurship Initiative (Enitiative) -- a collaborative partnership of six institutions and five community foundations made possible by a $3 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and $15 million in matching funding. As Associate Provost, he oversees The Center for Experiential Learning in Entrepreneurship (ExCEL); the Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) Consortium; The South Side Initiative (SSI); and The Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service. Kingma received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester and a B.S. in economics from the University of Chicago. He can be reached at (315) 443-7170.

Marilyn Higgins is the Vice President of Community Engagement and Economic Development at Syracuse University, responsible for the Connective Corridor and NearWest Side Initiative Projects. She is President of the Near West Side Initiative, Inc. Board, a member on the Board of Directors of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, the CNY Regional Alliance, the Morrisville College Foundation, and the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce. Past honors and awards she has received include Post Standard Woman of Achievement, Rhea Ekel Clark Citizenship Award, Spirit of American Women Award and SUNY’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Marilyn can be reached at (315) 443-8052.

Roberta “Bobbi” Jones is the Assistant Provost for Strategic Planning and Budget. Her primary responsibility is to serve as chief budget officer for Academic Affairs and to serve as advisor to the Vice Chancellor and Provost on strategic planning and initiatives. She can be reached at (315) 443-2055 or by mail at 323 Crouse-Hinds Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244

Patricia Stith is the Assistant Provost for Equity and Inclusion, supporting students in graduate programs across the University—with a special focus on doctoral students from under-represented groups. Before coming to Syracuse, Stith was Director of Retention Studies at Florida State University, a position she held for17 years. She also has directed and coordinated several National Science Foundation projects designed to promote increased participation of underrepresented minorities in the STEM disciplines. Stith earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Norfolk State College in Norfolk, Virginia. She holds master’s degreesin history from Carnegie-Mellon University and instructional technology from Syracuse University. She earned her Ph.D. degree in instructional systems at Florida State University. She can be reached at (315)443-0287.