Queensborough Community College President Dr. Christine Mangino on June 26 announced the appointment of Dr. Phyllis Curtis-Tweed as the school’s new provost and vice president of the Office of Academic Affairs. Curtis-Tweed will take over the role Aug. 1 for the retiring Dr. Sandra Palmer, who had also served as the dean of faculty since 2015.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Curtis-Tweed to Queensborough Community College and our team,” Mangino said. “Her experience and knowledge will help us achieve our student success goals and continue to develop a culture of care across campus.”
Curtis-Tweed currently serves as the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Bermuda College, As the chief academic officer, she will be responsible for leading and directing the development of the curriculum and academic programs, directing recruitment, retention and professional development of a distinguished and diverse faculty and academic staff, advancing teaching practices, regularly reviewing and analyzing student learning, experiences, data and assessment and partnering with Student Affairs to develop student success and retention strategies.
As the provost, she will be responsible for several college divisions as well as serving as a member of the president’s cabinet. Curtis-Tweed is expected to incorporate innovative practices into operational plans and strategies. This includes those that demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, belongingness and inclusion throughout all levels of the QCC.
“I am thrilled to join President Mangino and the Queensborough Community College as provost and vice president of academic affairs and to return to CUNY, where our very prescient mission remains to provide high quality public education for all students,” Curtis-Tweed said. “I look forward to serving the Queens community and beyond as we, at Queensborough Community College, continue to transform the landscape for student success by promoting access, equity and excellence.”
Curtis-Tweed earned her Ph.D in Educational Studies at Emory University. She focused specifically on educational leadership and issues in psychology, including agency and moral development. After receiving her Ph.D, Curtis-Tweed went to Harvard’s Clinical Research Training Program in Social Psychiatry to pursue postdoctoral training in psychology. She ended up being an instructor at Harvard for five years, in addition to teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Simmons College and the Harvard affiliated hospitals.
Before becoming Bermuda College’s vice president for academic and student affairs, Curtis-Tweed served as college-wide dean at Oakland Community College in Michigan. She also worked in various capacities at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, including assistant provost for student success and assessment and interim associate provost.
During her time at Bermuda College, she oversaw the development of a new Division of Nursing and Allied Health and added multiple programs, including pre-medicine and pre-health. Additionally, Curtis-Tweed has led the strategic planning and implementation initiative, collaborated with college task forces to improve campus culture and developed a shared governance model.
In addition to her work at Bermuda College, Curtis-Tweed also serves as an executive board member and treasurer for the Association for Moral Education and co-chair for the association’s special interest group on race and social justice. She has also been working as a co-researcher for a project designed to improve the experience of education for teachers and students by addressing issues of race and contexts of racial meaning in education and associated intersections with religion and culture through authentic dialogue in response to certain films.
On top of all her work and experience, Curtis-Tweed has also served as an invited external evaluator for certain accrediting agencies. These agencies include the Southern Association of Colleges and School (SACS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). She was also a 2023 Commissioner-Elect for the New England Commission for Higher Education (NECHE).
