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| Charles Taber, PhD, |
In this new role, Dr. Taber will continue as Dean of the Graduate School, maintaining full responsibility for the research graduate programs in the Graduate School; he will also lead the School of Professional Development and oversee all professional education programs at Stony Brook. This administrative restructuring follows the recommendations of a planning process that included an SPD self-study under previous Dean Paul Edelson, a year-long evaluation by Interim Dean Tom Sexton and the SPD staff, and the Provost’s SPD Advisory Group.
The Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate School provides direction, support, oversight, and advocacy for graduate and professional education across the University. This includes graduate and professional admissions and records, program development and new initiatives, program evaluation, and strategic leadership for graduate and professional education locally and among national peers. In this position, Taber will serve as a member of the University’s senior leadership team and work collaboratively with College Deans and Directors of graduate and professional programs, as well as student governance, across campus to improve graduate and professional education at the University.
“I am confident that this merging of graduate and professional development programs at SBU will lead to a more robust portfolio of academic programs that are market-relevant, prepare students for the workforce, and help to better integrate research, education and professional development,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. “The University’s Graduate School will continue to be committed to the highest standards of academic excellence, a diverse and productive academic community, and ethical conduct in research and scholarship. I am very pleased that the future of Stony Brook University’s graduate and professional development programs will be led by a scholar and competent higher education professional who is a long-standing member of our thriving academic community.”
“Throughout the planning process, our primary goal has been to strengthen the School of Professional Development and to enhance the quality of its academic offerings,” said Dennis N. Assanis, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Stony Brook University. “As we move forward, SPD will be driven by excellence, pedagogical innovation, and assessment. We will develop non-credit offerings based on market needs, enhance student experience, better serve the needs of non-traditional students, increase joint ventures with other schools and colleges, and involve academic faculty in directing programs. The new SPD will also be a key part of our plans for SBU ONLINE. We are excited about the many opportunities for excellent programs in SPD that will serve the needs of our University and our community, and I look forward to working with Chuck in his new role as Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate School in these efforts.”
Dr. Taber will work to diversify the portfolio of SPD offerings (including programs for academic credit as well as non-credit), expand online education, evaluate with an eye to enhance teacher preparation programs, coordinate policies and procedures with the Graduate School and PEP, and develop a new administrative model for SPD. This new SPD will include the capacity to conduct market research in order to respond quickly and flexibly to current and future opportunities. In partnership with the Associate Provost for Online Education and TLT, SPD will become a resource for online education, and will work closely with the new Office of Academic Assessment. SPD will also work closely with our faculty, departments, and colleges to identify and develop programs that match Stony Brook’s expertise with market demands.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Stony Brook University to build a broad portfolio of excellent programs to flexibly serve the needs of professionals in many fields,” said Dr. Taber. “Stony Brook has a great deal to offer professionals on Long Island and beyond, and I am eager to begin working with the experienced staff in the School of Professional Development to meet this demand with flexible online and traditional programs.”
During his 24 years at Stony Brook, Dr. Taber has served in many roles. He has been on the faculty at Stony Brook University since 1989 and is currently a Professor of Political Science. As Associate Dean and, subsequently, Interim Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Taber has been responsible for the development of new graduate programs, curricular changes to existing graduate programs, the Provost’s Graduate Student Lecture Series, China Interviews, new graduate student orientations, postdoctoral affairs, and working with the Graduate Council to update Graduate Policies. He also served as Undergraduate Director and Graduate Director for the department of Political Science. He has chaired the University Graduate Council, the President’s Task Force on Graduate and Professional Student Housing, the Provost’s Task Force on Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship, and the Senate’s Subcommittee on the Master’s Initiative. Most recently, he served as Co-Chair of the Provost’s Task Force on Academic Assessment.
Dr. Taber received his PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1991, and is a leading scholar in the fields of political psychology and computational modeling, with over 40 professional publications. He has been a pioneer in the use of computational modeling in political science, publishing the first article using this method in a major political science journal (American Political Science Review, 1992) as well as a widely-used text for computational modeling in the social sciences (Computational Modeling, Sage, 1996). He also received nine research grants from the National Science Foundation, has edited the journal, Political Psychology, and serves on the editorial boards of several leading political science journals. Chuck’s most recent book, The Rationalizing Voter, co-authored with Milton Lodge, won two national awards for best book of 2013.
About the Stony Brook University Graduate School
Stony Brook University’s Graduate School administers and supports 44 doctoral programs, serving 2300 students, and 50 master’s programs with over 1800 students. The School of Professional Development offers three master’s degree programs and five Advanced Graduate Certificate programs, while collaborating with Stony Brook’s academic departments to deliver six additional master’s degree programs and five additional Advanced Graduate Certificate programs. These programs serve 2000 matriculated and non-matriculated graduate students.
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