New provost named at Pace University

Following a national search, Joseph R. Franco, Ph.D., has been appointed provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Pace University. A nationally licensed mental health counselor and clinical supervisor, he has held an array of leadership and faculty roles during his 36-year tenure at Pace. Most recently, he served as interim provost since August following the departure of Vanya Quiñones, Ph.D., who became president of California State University, Monterey Bay.

Pace President Marvin Krislov, said, “He has proven himself to be not only a collegial and compassionate leader but also someone deeply committed to the success of everyone in our Pace Community ”” our students, our staff and our faculty. It is clear he brings to this role wisdom, experience and a deep well of respect across the institution”¦.”

During his more than three decades at Pace, Franco has served in a variety of capacities. Prior to serving as interim provost, he was an associate provost for academic affairs since December 2021. A member of the Pace faculty since 1987, he is a full professor in the Psychology and Mental Health Counseling Department on the Pleasantville Campus, and he has served as senior associate dean for Dyson College of Arts and Sciences as well as chair of the Westchester Faculty Council, among many other leadership roles.

“As a first-generation student, I understand Pace”™s mission of Opportunitas and believe that the university continues to open doors and provide life-changing opportunities for its students, faculty and staff,” Franco said. 

In 2021, Franco was honored with our Jefferson Award for Public Service. He is also a practicing clinician who is a licensed mental health counselor, a nationally certified counselor and a past downstate president for the New York Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. 

A native New Yorker, he holds a B.S. in psychology from Mercy College, two M.S. degrees from Long Island University, and an M.Phil and Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Pace is ranked the No. 1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University”™s Opportunity Insights. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor”™s, master”™s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country.