Public U Leaders Spotlight: Carol Kim

Name: Carol Kim
Title: Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Institution: University at Albany, SUNY
Year you began in your current role: 2019
APLU Council or Commission Chaired: Council on Academic Affairs (CAA)

What’s the most exciting work your APLU Council or Commission is currently undertaking?
I find it exciting to work with colleagues in the CAA as we help each other navigate the many changes that are affecting higher education. These efforts focus on how we, as individuals and as leaders, can best support our campuses by engaging with faculty, staff, and students in ways that allow them to feel heard. As CAA’s, our work is not always visible but it’s very important that our campuses know that we are working behind the scenes, often quietly, to help support them.

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing individuals in your role on campus?
Finding the best way to disseminate information quickly! Good communication and access to information often helps to alleviate stress and ensure that the campus community has the information that they need to be effective. Sometimes we get overburdened with trying to find the right words or concerned about reactions if someone doesn’t agree with the message. However, these concerns should not be a reason to limit communication but should serve as a reminder that more communication is necessary to build trust and reduce discord. The opportunity is in how you communicate the messages. There are so many platforms and ways to connect, and chief academic officers should avail themselves of as many of these opportunities as possible to reinforce the messages they are trying to deliver and to hear from as many of the campus colleagues as possible. For example, not everyone feels comfortable talking in a big group, so I started hosting one-on-one sessions with an open door, a big urn of coffee, and some cookies and pastries. People came in and talked, sometimes just for ten minutes. They shared their worries, asked questions, or simply satisfied their need to be heard. I didn’t get huge numbers participating, but those who came truly appreciated it, and even those who couldn’t attend told me they were glad I was willing to do it.

What are the most important and valuable partnerships on campus for individuals in your role?
I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic leadership team in my office. We complement each other’s strengths, work well together, and have a genuine affinity for each other. I’ve also built a team of deans who not only advocate for their schools and colleges but also understand the importance of the broader campus context. They want the whole university to be the best place it can be for faculty, staff, and students.

What makes your university great?
We are a student-centered and inclusive university. We want every student on our campus to develop the skills and to have the experiences that will make them the number one candidate for every job, graduate school, or professional school. We hold this as a key objective and we’ve worked very hard over the last six years to develop an intentionally designed Student Success model that we are proud of and that ensures every UAlbany student has the personalized and holistic support that they need to succeed. Alluding to the supports we provide, one student who transferred to UAlbany said, “It’s almost impossible to fail here.” That made my day.

What experience best prepared you for your current role?
Before coming to UAlbany, I was at the University of Maine and the University of Maine System for 21 years. I held a number of leadership roles, starting as director of a statewide graduate program, then vice president for research, and dean of the graduate school. I also worked directly with state government, including legislators and the governor’s office. These experiences helped prepare me and gave me critical insight into the provost role.

What’s your favorite way to spend your free time?
Reading to relax. I also like to bake, and my spouse and I enjoy beekeeping together. It’s fascinating to watch the bees, and I love the honey. We’ve had challenges – a bear knocked down the hives, not once but twice – but it’s been a great hobby. We’ve done this for three years and successfully harvested honey, which we share with our friends.

What’s the last thing you cooked or baked?
A big batch of tahini chocolate chip cookies from the New York Times. They were so good – the tahini gives the cookies a subtle flavor and a chewy, tender texture – delicious.