In August the College hailed the return of James McCarthy, PhD, who began a two-year term as interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Says Baruch College President Mitchel B. Wallerstein, PhD, “I am personally delighted to welcome Dr. McCarthy back to Baruch. Jim has had a distinguished academic career as well as a strong record of effective and successful administrative leadership. His deep knowledge of and extensive experience with CUNY policies and procedures will help Baruch move forward with various programmatic initiatives.”
Dr. McCarthy previously served in the role of Baruch provost from 2007 through 2012, before leaving to become president of Suffolk University in Boston.
McCarthy began his career at Princeton and has held leadership roles at Johns Hopkins, Columbia University, and the University of New Hampshire. In recent years, he has served as a consultant to colleges, universities, and university systems throughout the U.S. and abroad.
The new provost had in fact re-established his ties with Baruch in 2014 as an adjunct faculty member in the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, where last year he became director of its master’s program in higher education administration.
McCarthy takes over for David Christy, PhD, Baruch’s former provost, who retired in June. President Wallerstein praised Provost Christy’s legacy: “During Provost Christy’s six-year tenure, he worked tirelessly to promote and advance the interests of Baruch. Jim McCarthy and I, as well as the entire Baruch community, continue to benefit from his efforts.”
Provost McCarthy has hit the ground running, saying, “I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this thriving, essential institution. Baruch’s mission of ‘education for all’ is as relevant today as it was when our precursor institution, the Free Academy, was founded on the site of the College’s Field Building in 1847.”
McCarthy has nothing but praise for Baruch students, faculty, and staff. “Our students represent the full mosaic that is New York City, the U.S., and the world, and our faculty and staff are committed to students’ academic and personal success. It’s no wonder that Baruch is widely recognized as one of the most powerful engines of social mobility in the country. And our faculty are highly regarded, nationally and internationally, for their outstanding scholarship and contributions to fundamental knowledge, professional practice, and public policy.”
McCarthy concludes by saying, “This combination is why I am thrilled to be back at Baruch. There’s no place I’d rather be.”