Accomplished educational leader Kate Pechenkina was recently named SUNY Oswego’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs, providing leadership across academic programs, student success initiatives, strategic planning, continued academic excellence and more.
“Following a national search that drew an exceptionally strong pool of candidates, Dr. Pechenkina emerged as a highly accomplished academic leader whose experience, vision and commitment to student success closely align with SUNY Oswego’s mission and aspirations,” SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu said in announcing the appointment.
Pechenkina, who began this position as SUNY Oswego’s chief academic officer on July 15, comes from Queens College of the City University of New York, where she has served as dean of faculty for the School of Social Sciences and as a professor of anthropology. She also served as founding and acting dean of the Queens College School of Business, helping guide its creation, strategic planning, curriculum development and advancement.
“SUNY Oswego has a distinctive identity that sets it apart from many other universities,” Pechenkina said. “Each of its four colleges offers a unique set of programs that are academically rigorous and directly tied to the needs of Central New York: its economy, its environment, its communities.”
Pechenkina earned her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Missouri–Columbia and her Bachelor of Science in biology from Russia’s Moscow State University. Her academic career and increasing leadership roles reflect “a deep appreciation for the transformative power of higher education and the critical role public universities play in expanding opportunity, strengthening communities and preparing students to address complex challenges,” President Nwosu added.
