David Birdsell Named Dean of the School of Public Affairs

Baruch College has successfully concluded the search for a new dean of the School of Public Affairs and will appoint Professor David Birdsell this June, upon final approval by City University Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and the CUNY Board of Trustees.

Birdsell has served as acting dean since Dean Stan Altman stepped down last summer. A member of the faculty of the School of Public Affairs since its inception in 1994, he served as the school’s executive director for academic programs from 1999 to 2005. In that role, he was responsible for SPA’s graduate and undergraduate curricula and for faculty affairs. From 2001 through 2005, he oversaw the expansion of SPA’s executive education program and its collaborations with the Health and Hospitals Corporation, the United Way of New York City, and other nonprofit and public sector institutions.

Birdsell, who joined the Baruch College faculty in 1986, holds a PhD in public communication from the University of Maryland and MA and BA degrees from the University of Virginia. He is an expert on political and visual communication with specialties in campaign debates and online politics and is a consultant to many nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions. Some of his recent work has focused on leadership development and succession management in public sector organizations. His research and service programs have been supported by the Clark Foundation, the United Way of New York City, the New York Community Trust, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, and other funders. Birdsell lectures frequently on politics, nonprofit management, and civic culture and is regularly cited by the media. He has been an active member of the Baruch community, serving on numerous committees and task forces in his long career at the College. He received a Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 1999.