New Academic Leadership at CSI

The College of Staten Island proudly announces three new academic leaders.

Dr. Margaret-Ellen (Mel) Pipe

Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness

Dr. Pipe is currently Acting Assistant Provost for Planning and Special Projects at Brooklyn College, where she previously served for six years as Chair of the Department of Psychology. Prior to moving to Brooklyn College in 2006, she served for five years as Staff Scientist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health). Most of her prior academic career was spent at the University of Otago (1985–2001), in Dunedin, New Zealand, where she rose to a rank equivalent to Full Professor. Dr. Pipe’s research and publications have been concentrated in the areas of memory development and child abuse and neglect. She has held several research grants as Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator during her career, including grants from the National Children’s Research Foundation, the Marsden Fund, the Foundation for Research, Science, & Technology (NZ), the National Institutes of Justice, and the Australian Research Council. She has also served on the editorial boards for six professional journals in her field and received an honorary doctorate from Stockholm University in 2015.

Effective August 1, 2016, Dr. Pipe will work with deans, department chairs, and other academic leaders at the College of Staten Island and partner institutions to develop and maintain strong graduate programs, provide strategic leadership for the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research, work with the Office of Academic Assessment and other units to assure a strong “culture of assessment” in the College, and oversee the organization and implementation of the annual Undergraduate Research Conference. She will also serve as a member of the Deans’ Council and the Provost’s Council.

“I look forward to working with the College’s senior leadership, deans, department chairs, and faculty in developing new opportunities for students through strategically targeted graduate programs and to facilitating research and program grant funding. Assessment will, of course, be particularly important this year, with the Periodic Review Report due in June 2017,” noted Dr. Pipe.

Dr. Pipe holds her BA in English and PhD in Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and completed postdoctoral work in Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington (also New Zealand).

 

Dr. Kenneth Gold

Dean of the School of Education

Dean Gold came to the College of Staten Island in 1995 as an adjunct lecturer, was appointed Assistant Professor two years later and promoted to Associate Professor in 2003. He served as Chair of the former Department of Education in 2004 and again from 2007 to 2010. Prior to his arrival at CSI, Dr. Gold was a teacher at both John Dewey High School and Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. He received his BA from Princeton University and his MA and PhD from the University of Michigan, all in History. In addition to his book, School’s In: The History of Summer Education in American Public Schools and a co-edited historical guide to Staten Island, he has published numerous refereed articles and given a large number of professional and scholarly presentations.

Appointed on June 9, 2016, Dr. Gold has been serving ably as Interim Dean of the School since its founding in fall 2013. In the period of his interim leadership, the School has deepened the College’s relationship with K-12 schools and Education alumni on Staten Island through program grants, principals’ networks, memoranda of understanding, and CSI’s participation in the 30,000 Degrees Initiative; launched new programs in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages); instituted mechanisms to support student preparation for the EdTPA and the other new state certification exams; and established the Teachers Society for students. The school is currently developing a proposal for a new EdD in Community-based Leadership.

“I look forward to continuing to work with faculty to make the CSI School of Education a linchpin in coordinated, collaborative efforts on behalf of P-12 student learning and teacher development on Staten Island and beyond,” Dr. Gold stated.

Dr. Gold holds a PhD in History and a Master’s in History, both from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a Bachelor’s in History, cum laude, from Princeton University.

 

Dr. Ralf M. Peetz

Interim Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies and Student Success

Dr. Peetz has been a member of the Chemistry Department faculty at CSI since 2003, and is also a long-time member of the Graduate Center Doctoral Faculty in Chemistry. His areas of academic specialization include functional materials and macromolecular engineering, future energy needs, and science in education. He has published nearly 40 refereed articles and other papers, has been Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on several significant grants, and has received numerous CUNY internal awards.

Dr. Peetz has served in many faculty leadership roles at CSI. These roles have included membership on the Teacher Education and Science, Letters, and Society advisory boards, chairing of the Graduate Studies Committee, membership on the Institutional Planning Committee, and, until now, service as Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate. He has also served on the Honors College Advisory Boards for both the CSI Macaulay Honors College program and The Verrazano School, and as a member of the General Education Committee.  In addition, he has mentored more than 20 undergraduate researchers, as well as five doctoral students. Dr. Peetz also has an extensive record of community service.

Appointed on June 3, 2016, Dr. Peetz will provide oversight and strategic leadership for the Center for Advising and Academic Success (CAAS); the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) initiative; several student academic support offices including the Office of Academic Support, the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program, C-STEP, and Liberty Partnership Programs; three CSI honors programs; Learning Communities; and the Bertha Harris Women’s Center. He will also serve as a member of the Deans’ Council and the Provost’s Council.

“Our students do not cease to amaze me. They come from all walks of life and they deserve any and every tool and opportunity that meets their needs and then exceeds their expectations. I am excited because I will be intimately involved in providing these tools. And what better place to do this than at CSI with its strong and distinct student commitment?” said Dr. Peetz.

Dr. Peetz received his Vordiplom in Chemistry from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany), and his MS and Ph.D in Chemistry from The University of Hamburg. Prior to joining the CSI faculty, he served for three years as Visiting Scientist at the Maurice Morton Institute of Polymer Science at the University of Akron.