Troy Eggers Named Dean of the School of Professional Studies

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

I write to announce that, in close consultation with Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences Amy Hungerford, I have formally appointed Troy Eggers as Dean of the School of Professional Studies. Over this past year, as Interim Dean, Troy has led the School admirably through a period of considerable uncertainty and strain resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The School of Professional Studies was founded more than 25 years ago with a mission to provide flexible degrees and educational experiences to talented students at all stages of their lives. It offers professional degrees, courses designed to meet the demands of an ever-evolving market, and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. In the past year, Troy and his team have created new educational programs, developed a rigorous system of faculty governance, and built a curriculum to meet the needs of record numbers of students in two unpredictable summers—the regular summer session of 2020 and the pandemic school year’s “third term” undergraduate summer session of 2021. Also in response to the challenges of COVID-19, Troy directed a process that elevated the School’s approach to online learning and oversaw deft management of the School’s finances. While he certainly bears great responsibility for these successes, Troy would be the first to credit the School’s excellent faculty, staff, and student leadership for their support and stewardship of the School during this time.

As Dean, Troy will build upon the School’s unique and impressive history, while refining and broadening its approach to non-traditional higher education. Priorities he has already identified include deepening the School’s programmatic collaborations with departments across the University, establishing internal advisory boards focused on professional education, expanding access through fellowships and financial aid, and developing new educational programs to serve the varied needs of SPS students. 

As I said when announcing his interim appointment, Troy has served Columbia with great distinction for more than two decades. Since joining the University in 2000, Troy has excelled in a variety of senior positions within Columbia Business School, the School of International and Public Affairs, and the Office of the Provost. As Executive Vice Provost, his portfolio included critical areas of academic management—financial planning, faculty housing, human resources, travel, emergency protocols, and space planning—in addition to oversight of the International Students & Scholars Office, Columbia University Press, The University Seminars, and the Alliance joint-venture between Columbia, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. Troy has also served as a member of the University’s Emergency Management Operations Team and on the President’s Advisory Task Force on COVID-19. 

Following an international search and deeply important and valuable input from the search committee, to whom we are immensely grateful, Amy and I concluded happily that Troy’s decades of strong leadership in positions across the University coupled with his outstanding performance as Interim Dean make him the ideal candidate to take on this role at this critical moment. I know you join me in congratulating Troy on this well-deserved appointment. 

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger