Senior Fellows
David Cohen has had a distinguished, 20-year career as a neuroscientist, followed by 17 years as a senior university administrator. He served as Provost at Northwestern University, after having been Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Northwestern. Subsequently, he served as Vice President for Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty at Columbia University. He is currently Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia. David has held a number of elected offices in national and international organizations, including President of the Society for Neuroscience and Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He has served on numerous boards, including Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Zenith Electronics, and the Columbia University Press. He has also served extensively on advisory committees for various organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the National Academy of Sciences. David has a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jonathan has had a distinguished career in academia, serving both as a professor and senior university administrator. He is currently a University Professor at Columbia. He served as Columbia University’s Provost for 14 years, holding the position for the second-longest tenure in the university’s 250-year history. He also served as Columbia's Dean of Faculties and Vice President for Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cole’s scholarly work has focused principally on the development of the sociology of science as a research specialty. In recent years, Dr. Cole has focused his attention on examining issues in higher education – particularly the problems facing American research universities. In 1994, he co-edited The Research University in a Time of Discontent, a critical examination of the challenges facing U.S. research institutions in a rapidly shifting, constantly evolving academic climate. Among Dr. Cole’s many awards and accolades are fellowships and scholarships from several prestigious institutions, including the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1975-76), the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (1975-76), and the Russell Sage Foundation (1986-87). Dr. Cole was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992); elected a Member of the American Philosophical Society (2005); elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2004); and a Member of The Council on Foreign Relations (2003). Jonathan received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Joe Cronin is a Senior Fellow for the Eduventures Schools of Education Learning Collaborative and for Eduventures Consulting Services. Dr. Cronin is the former president of Bentley College and has also worked at five schools of education. He earned A.B. and M.A.T. degrees from Harvard and a doctorate in education from Stanford University in 1965. He served as a Harvard Associate Dean, the Massachusetts Secretary of Education reviewing state college plans, and the Illinois State Superintendent of Education where he chaired the Teacher Certification board. At Lesley University, he served as trustee, chair of academic affairs, and as interim dean of the School of Education from 2003-04. Since 2002, he has taught higher education administration courses in the graduate program at the Boston University School of Education. His publications include articles on educational finance, urban education, and distance learning.
Beth Garvin has 25 years of experience in development and alumni relations, most recently as Vice President of Institutional engagement at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In this role, she revitalized the development team and program with significant increases in gifts to scholarship endowment, parent fundraising, sponsored research, and enhanced engagement for alumni and parents. Prior to RISD, Beth spent more than 20 years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she served as the executive vice president and CEO of the MIT Alumni Association from 2003-2008. She began her career at MIT as a research analyst in Resource Development, and subsequently held a number of key positions, including Director of Reunion Giving, Director of Class Programs, Annual Fund Director, and Managing Director of the Alumni Association. During that period, she played an active part in two comprehensive capital campaigns.
At both RISD and the MIT Alumni Association, Garvin restructured the organization to maximize resources in support of enhanced fundraising, substantive engagement for alumni and parents, and communications. In 2002, the MIT Alumni Board recognized Beth as an Honorary Member of the Alumni Association, the highest award given to non-alumni at MIT. Garvin holds an M.A. in education from Stanford University and a B.A. in English from the University of Cincinnati. Garvin served as the Program Co-Chair for the CASE District 1 and 2 annual conference in February 2003. She has served on the boards of the Providence Foundation, Technology Review, and the MIT Enterprise Forum.
Don Hossler is the Executive Associate Dean for the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington. He is a Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies and also serves as the Coordinator of the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate programs. Hossler has served as the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services for Indiana University Bloomington, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services for the seven campuses of the Indiana University system, and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. His areas of specialization include: college choice, student persistence, student financial aid policy, and enrollment management.
Hossler has consulted with more than 45 colleges, universities, and related educational organizations, including: The College Board, Educational Testing Services, the University of Cincinnati, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, the Pew Charitable Trust, the University of Missouri, Colorado State University, the University of Alabama, and the General Accounting Office of the United States Government. He has presented more than 130 scholarly papers and invited lectures and is the author, or co-author, of 12 books and monographs and more than 65 articles and book chapters. Hossler is currently directing funded projects of The College Board, the Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Spencer Foundation focusing on student success and persistence. He has received career achievement awards for his research and scholarship from the American College Personnel Association, the Association for Institutional Research, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Scott has over 17 years of experience in enrollment management functions in higher education at a variety of private and public institutions, large and small. The first 10 years of his experience was in a registrar’s office, where he gained a firm understanding of the importance of details and systems in university administration. He also gained valuable experience working with faculty, which helped to build a solid appreciation for the importance of process in higher education decision-making. Scott’s portfolio grew organically to include financial aid and student accounts functions, building to undergraduate and graduate admissions, academic advising, and veterans services. He has worked at multiple institutions that have successfully transformed their student profiles, balancing institutional mission with other institutional goals and priorities, including limited budgets. Scott has previously consulted with higher education institutions on student information system implementation issues. Scott holds a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University; a master of education in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University; and a bachelor of arts in psychology from Boston University. He lives and works in the Boston area.
Carol has 30 years of experience in higher education, beginning her professional career as a member of the faculty and eventually serving in senior administrative capacities in the areas of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Enrollment Management. She has served as the Dean of Students and the Academic Dean at Lesley University, as well as the Vice President for Enrollment Management. She also spent a year as an American Council of Education (ACE) Fellow at California State University, Fresno. During the course of her tenure at Lesley University (LU), Carol was a member of the senior leadership team and directly involved in the implementation of the University’s merger with the Art Institute of Boston and later with the co-educational transformation of the Undergraduate Women’s College. Carol’s role in the implementation of the merger agreement included significant involvement in issues related to university governance, administrative and academic policies and practices, faculty contractual and workload issues, and all aspects of student life. She led the internal planning process for proceeding with the co-educational transformation of Lesley College, which included planning and oversight of the University’s athletic program and all issues related to marketing, admissions, and financial aid strategy for a new population of LU students. Carol chaired a university-wide retention task force and was responsible for working across the university barriers of student and academic affairs to implement various university-wide retention efforts. In her role as the first Vice President of Enrollment Management at Lesley, Carol built a team that oversaw a student body of 12,000, seeking degrees from a bachelor’s through doctorate and including significant off-campus enrollment services. Upon returning to the faculty in 2011, Carol has been consulting with the Walmart Foundation around issues related to adolescent literacy and first-year college access and success. Her experience in higher education is quite broad and encompasses nearly every aspect of university governance and business. Carol holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from Boston College, and a bachelor of science in mathematics education from the Ohio State University.