Meet the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

David Birdsell, Ph.D., oversees all academic programs and accreditation at Kean’s campuses in Union, Toms River, Manahawkin, and Jefferson Township,  New Jersey as well as Wenzhou, China, and will play a key role in the University’s pursuit of a R2 Carnegie research designation. As Provost, he is responsible for recruiting and mentoring the University’s faculty, as well as ensuring the University delivers on its promise of a world-class education.

Birdsell is the former dean of the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, a higher education institution in The City University of New York system, with a six-year graduation rate of over 70%. And, like Kean, has been recognized for the social mobility of its graduates.

Birdsell started at Baruch as an assistant professor of speech after graduating from the University of Maryland with a Ph.D. in public communication in 1986. Achieving the title of professor in 1999, he also served as Executive Director of Academic Programs, Interim Dean of the Marxe School of Public Affairs, and Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness. Birdsell earned his master’s degree in speech communication and his bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Virginia.