POTSDAM – SUNY Potsdam has announced the appointments of two new deans, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr. Gretchen Galbraith, and Dean the School of Education and Professional Studies Dr. Allen C. Grant.

Galbraith comes to Potsdam from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., where she was associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In her leadership position here, she will oversee the school and its 18 academic departments encompassing the fine arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences, reflecting a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary study programs.

Grant joins SUNY Potsdam from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he has been a professor and the inaugural chair of the Department of Policy, Organization and Leadership.

As dean, Grant will oversee the school's nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs in teacher education, business administration, and public health and human performance.

She joined Grand Valley State in 1992 as an assistant professor of history, eventually becoming a full professor in 2015. In between, she held roles as the assistant and acting chair of the history department and served as interim director of the Honors College, going on to chair her department for four years. As associate dean, she was responsible for personnel issues, course schedule development and management and faculty governance, among other duties, and also assisted with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and strategic planning.

Originally from Burlington, Vt., Galbraith completed her bachelor's degree at Connecticut College and earned her Ph.D. in European and women's history from Rutgers University. At Grand Valley, she taught courses in British, European and world history, and in women's and gender studies.

"I'm from the other side of the Adirondacks, so I really love being in the North Country and back near the mountains in this part of the world," Galbraith said.

After starting work on July 1, Galbraith has been meeting with faculty and students and delving into strategic and fiscal planning, as well as getting to know campus and the area before the fall semester begins.

"Part of my job as a new dean, coming in from the outside, is just to listen and learn. I think that there are a lot of stories that we have to tell, and that we should be telling. There are some really amazing things going on here," she said.

Grant exploring ‘community school strategies’

"One of the reasons I was attracted to coming here was that it wasn't simply an education department,” Dr. Grant said. “We have an entrepreneurial business department, coupled with established programs in public health as well. I'm interested in galvanizing our strengths and looking at ways we can collaborate, especially ways we can stay ahead of the marketplace in terms of new programming."

[img_assist|nid=263602|title=Grant|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=150|height=215]Grant joined Drexel's faculty in 2010 and directed the university's master of science degree program in educational administration, and its online and Philadelphia-based doctoral program in educational leadership. He also served as an Online Learning Fellow and an Assessment Fellow at Drexel, and was honored with the Outstanding Online Faculty Award in 2014. Grant's research interests include community school models, distance education, K-12 virtual education and educational leadership.

"Much of my past research involves community school strategies, which provide wraparound services for students and their families. Effective community schools provide healthcare, warm clothes, good nutrition and legal services. These schools take a whole community approach that can improve student attendance and educational outcomes. I think there is an opportunity to further explore these strategies here in the North Country," Grant said.

Grant earned his bachelor's degree in history at The College of William and Mary, and completed his master's in curriculum and instruction at George Mason University, before completing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and research at Louisiana State University. Prior to joining Drexel, he was the chief learning officer and program director of the Louisiana Virtual School, after having been a classroom teacher in the Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools and at the Louisiana State University Laboratory School.

After joining SUNY Potsdam on June 15, Grant has been busy delving into strategic and fiscal planning, and meeting with faculty and students. He is particularly excited about SUNY Potsdam's focus on providing applied learning opportunities, and hopes to expand those programs within The School of Education and Professional Studies.

"We do an incredible job with applied learning within education, through student teaching and classroom experiences. Our programs in business, community health and exercise science offer really strong internship experiences as well. I'd like to expand upon these, so that we are developing more partnerships and providing internship opportunities everywhere," Grant said. "Given my background, I'm also really excited about strengthening our online programs, especially our graduate programs. The goal is to continue to do what we do really well, and also do that online really well too. There is a really great tradition and history here. We can build on that together."