SUNY Canton Selects New Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

A highly-regarded educator and assessment expert from Purchase College has been selected to lead academics at SUNY Canton.

Canton, NY (04/03/2019) — SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran announced that Peggy A. De Cooke, Ph.D., has been selected as the college's new provost and vice president for academic affairs.

"Dr. De Cooke's extensive educational leadership experience will help SUNY Canton continue to grow as Northern New York's premiere career-driven college," Szafran said. "She has successfully led initiatives in student success, program development, strategic planning, and assessment which are critical areas of focus as our college continues to expand."

De Cooke will come to SUNY Canton from Purchase College, where she currently serves as an associate professor of psychology and the associate provost for academic affairs. Previously, she was chair of the College Senate and faculty presiding officer and acting dean of the School of the Arts. She will begin her new position on July 1.

"I am so pleased to be joining the SUNY Canton community and look forward to working closely with Dr. Szafran, campus leadership, faculty, staff, and students to advance the mission of the college," De Cooke said. "Everyone was so warm and welcoming during my visit to campus. I can't wait to get started!"

De Cooke has extensive teaching experience from high school through graduate levels and has taught many courses in introductory and developmental psychology. Additionally, she has published or presented more than 50 papers on factors influencing student learning and performance.

"On behalf of the Purchase College community, I congratulate Dr. Peggy De Cooke on her appointment as provost of SUNY Canton," said Purchase College Provost Barry Pearson. "It is gratifying to see Dr. De Cooke join the ranks of other former Purchase faculty and staff members who have taken on important leadership roles in educational institutions across the country. We're proud and grateful for what Dr. De Cooke has accomplished during her 24 years at Purchase College. We have no doubt that she will be a transformative leader and wish her luck in her new role."

She earned her master's and doctorate in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.

The provost and vice president of academic affairs serves as the chief academic administrator at the college. The office is currently jointly overseen on an interim basis by Molly A. Mott, associate provost and dean of academic support services, and Kenneth Erickson, dean of the School of Science, Health and Criminal Justice.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 18 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The college's 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also offers varsity esports and cheerleading. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.

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