Please join me in welcoming Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nathalia Holtzman to the College of Staten Island. Dr. Holtzman will begin on Monday, Aug. 25. 

Dr. Holtzman is a respected leader in the CUNY community having held numerous positions at Queens College (QC). Most recently, she was Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success, a position she has held since 2021.

In that role, Dr. Holtzman oversaw a portfolio of student success programs impacting more than 16,000 students annually. These programs included: Honors and Scholars, the Writing Center, First-Year Experience,  ACE transfer program, Experiential Education, and Career Engagement. She also led the creation of a Transfer Hub to integrate all services for students transferring to QC and strengthened corporate, civic, and industry partnerships to expand workforce development opportunities for students. 

Additionally, Dr. Holtzman spent five years as the Associate Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning at QC, where she led large-scale initiatives that included institutional transitions to online learning, post-COVID academic restructuring, and faculty development for hybrid instruction.

Dr. Holtzman’s tenure includes more than two decades of faculty experience, including terms as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Biology Department. Her extensive research background includes more than 20 published peer-reviewed articles, as well as grant funding from a variety of sources, including the National Institutes of Health.

“I am deeply committed to student equity, faculty success, and the mission of public higher education,” said Dr. Holtzman. “Throughout my career at CUNY, I’ve focused on retention, enrollment, and career outcomes through collaboration, shared governance, and evidence-based strategy. I’m excited to join the College of Staten Island — a vibrant institution that serves a diverse population, and to help strengthen its role as a public anchor for innovation, access, and community impact. I look forward to supporting faculty research and scholarship as essential drivers of institutional excellence and student opportunity.”

Dr. Holtzman earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship from NYU School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Molecular Biology/Genetics from the University of Toronto.

We are excited to have Dr. Holtzman as part of our CSI community, and we look forward to her leadership as we head into the Fall 2025 semester.

By Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)