Jason Wingard to Step Down as Dean of the School of Professional Studies

Wingard will conclude his service as Dean at the end of the academic year. 

May 04, 2020

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

I write now to share the news that Jason Wingard, Dean of the School of Professional Studies (SPS), has informed me of his desire to conclude his service as Dean at the end of the academic year. Jason's five-year tenure as Dean represents a pivotal period of growth and program development. He will remain Professor of Professional Studies in Human Capital Management.

Like the School of General Studies, the School of Professional Studies is built on the philosophy that intellectual talent and the desire to learn may surface in different forms and at different periods of life and that a great University should try to meet those educational needs. Early in Jason’s deanship, the former School of Continuing Education was renamed the School of Professional Studies, largely to signify this underlying purpose.

Jason formed SPS’s inaugural Board of Overseers, substantially expanded and elevated its offerings across disciplines, and developed a research agenda. Today there are 16 Master of Science degrees, ranging from Applied Analytics to Bioethics to Enterprise Risk Management to Strategic Communication. In addition, there are 22 non-degree certificate, executive education, summer, and lifelong learning programs in areas including Biotechnology, Human Rights, and Sustainability Analytics. Master’s degree enrollment has more than doubled, and the number of full-time appointed faculty has nearly tripled. 

I will soon appoint an Interim Dean of the School of Professional Studies. We will also begin the process of launching a global search for Jason’s successor. Please join me, now, in thanking Jason for his dedicated service to this University.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger