New York, N.Y. (June 20, 2024) – Dr. Paul Reifenheiser will join Guttman Community College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY), as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs beginning July 15, 2024, pending the University’s approval. Reifenheiser comes to Guttman from State University of New York’s Tompkins Cortland Community College (TCCC), where he served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and as the administrator in charge (CEO) since 2018.
“Dr. Paul Reifenheiser has extensive experience as an academician and administrator in the New York State community college ecosystem,” said President Larry Johnson. “Having served in previous roles such as faculty and division chair, he brings a wealth of knowledge centering on student outcomes and assessment, shared governance, and workforce innovations and solutions. We are delighted to welcome Paul to the Grizzly family.”
Filling a crucial role at the College, Reifenheiser will be responsible for expanding and developing new academic programs and services to meet the needs of the College’s diverse community while working to increase student learning as well as retention and graduation rates. Serving as a champion for academic innovation, student access, and success, he will provide strategic leadership, direction, and policy formulation of all academic programs consistent with the College’s mission, values, and goals.
Reifenheiser will endeavor to ensure the College’s teaching and learning meet the highest academic and accreditation standards, assuring the currency, integrity, and quality of academic programs and services. He will work closely with senior administrators, faculty, staff, and CUNY partners and will serve alongside other College leadership on the President’s Strategy and Implementation Team (PSIT).
“This opportunity is about planning, place, and people. Guttman’s holistic and historic commitment to students, its thorough planning for the future, and its location in the heart of New York City made me apply. The people I met – who were clearly part of a caring community – solidified that I wanted to be a part of this vibrant college. I’m very excited to join this team and humbled to be a part of such a mission-driven institution,” said Reifenheiser.
As provost at TCCC, his numerous accomplishments included implementing the college’s Guided Pathways initiative, which helped remove unnecessary barriers for students; co-creating the college’s Academic Master Plan; leading the College’s overhaul of academic assessment to focus on improving teaching and learning, resulting in new Institutional Learning Outcomes, revised Program Learning Outcomes in over 40 disciplines and new Student Learning Outcomes in hundreds of master course syllabi; and serving as the college’s accreditation liaison officer with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. As administrator in charge, he led monthly town halls focused on the TCCC’s strategic plan and met with donors to raise over $100,000 for an emergency fund for students.
He has co-written grants totaling over $5 million, including a $3.4-million grant focused on workforce development, leading to new microcredentials as well as advising tracks within TCCC’s Applied Science and Technology Associate of Applied Science degree. Additionally, he obtained grant funds resulting in lab renovations and upgrades, new computer labs, and new equipment.
Reifenheiser brings teaching experience to his new role as well. He formerly served as a visiting instructor at Florida State University and has taught for TCCC, SUNY New Paltz, and the Bard College Prison Initiative.
He holds a doctorate in American literature and critical theory from Florida State University, a master’s degree in English from St. John’s University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Villanova University.
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College was CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years. Reimagining what community college could be, Guttman opened its doors in Manhattan in August 2012 to create a research-based, innovative model focused on moving students efficiently toward graduation. Offering associate degree programs in a nurturing environment, the College’s three-year graduation rate consistently surpasses the national average, and most graduates transfer to senior colleges. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and minority-serving institution with more than 85% of the student population identifying as Latine or Black/African American. The College was named the best community college in America in 2020 and the top community college in New York State for 2020, 2021, and 2022 by Niche.com and other ranking agencies.
