Frank Vander Valk, Ph.D., Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Frank Vander Valk, Ph.D., brings more than 20 years of higher education experience to the position of Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Dr. Vander Valk joined Empire State College as an assistant professor, earning tenure while teaching courses in political science, history, political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of education. He served in a number of faculty leadership roles and has the academic rank of Professor. Prior to moving into administration, he held the college’s Susan H. Turben Chair in Mentoring. Dr. Vander Valk was the inaugural Dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and he simultaneously served for four years as the inaugural Dean of Digital Learning, Innovation, and Strategy overseeing the college’s library, Empire Online, and substantial portions of the college’s academic operations. A solutions-oriented leader and strategic thinker, Dr. Vander Valk enjoys working with stakeholder groups to create effective processes that serve the needs of students, faculty, staff, and the college’s strategic goals.

Dr. Vander Valk’s academic interests include political theory, philosophy of technology, diversity and equity in digital educational spaces, and emerging educational models. He has developed innovative models and strategies for leveraging technology to better meet the needs of the contemporary learner. He has presented at national conferences and invited workshops on his work developing the Project for Online Open Learning, an interdisciplinary and team-taught initiative that leveraged OERs to develop a community of learners focused on broad annual themes. He has published on a wide range of topics, including digital equity and inclusion; the intersection between neuroscience and political theory; Sophocles’ Philoctetes and the construction of political identify; and Saint Augustine’s proto-liberalism. Dr. Vander Valk has been active in professional organizations and is past President of the New York State Political Science Association.

Dr. Vander Valk holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University at Albany (SUNY) with specializations in political theory and American politics. He was also awarded an M.A. in political science and a B.A. in Religious Studies and Applied Ethics, both from the University of Calgary.