SUNY Oneonta will welcome Dr. Enrique Morales-Díaz as its next provost and vice president for academic affairs on March 13, 2023.
Dr. Morales-Díaz comes to SUNY Oneonta from Westfield State University in Massachusetts, where he is currently the assistant provost. He was selected as SUNY Oneonta’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs after an extensive nationwide search.
In his role at Oneonta, he will serve as the chief academic officer and member of the President's Cabinet and Executive Staff. He will provide inclusive leadership and strategic direction for the Division of Academic Affairs and promote cross-divisional collaboration to broaden and build opportunities for student success and scholarly achievements. In addition, Dr. Morales-Díaz will partner with faculty and staff across campus on initiatives surrounding academic program development, co-curricular programs, enrollment and retention, and access and inclusion.
“I am grateful and honored to join the SUNY Oneonta community as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs,” said Dr. Morales-Díaz. “I have always strived to be open and communicative, and collaborative and inclusive in decision-making, and these are qualities I will bring to this role. I look forward to engaging with the faculty, staff and students to contribute to the excellent ongoing work of fostering a campus community that promotes and emphasizes student success.”
Prior to his role as assistant provost, Dr. Morales-Díaz served as Westfield’s chair of the Department of Language & Culture Studies, acting chair of the Department of Ethnic & Gender Studies, interim dean of faculty and acting associate dean of education. A tenured full professor, he played critical roles in Westfield's development of a Spanish major and the Ethnic & Gender Studies program – the first of its kind in the Northeast.
Dr. Morales-Díaz is no stranger to the Oneonta community. Prior to arriving at Westfield in 2008, he began his career in Oneonta in 2000 as a teaching fellow and faculty member at Hartwick College. During that time, he also taught courses in the Africana and Latinx Studies and Women's and Gender Studies programs at SUNY Oneonta.
“Dr. Morales-Díaz has a demonstrated commitment to prioritizing student success, starting with his many years in the classroom and in his roles as a student-centered academic leader,” said SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle. “His extensive experience with initiatives surrounding curriculum development, faculty affairs, student success, enrollment and retention, diversity and inclusion, assessment and more are all qualifications we sought for our next chief academic officer. I also look forward to working with Dr. Morales-Díaz as we continue to strengthen SUNY Oneonta’s role throughout Otsego County and with our community partners.”
Dr. Morales-Díaz holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from the University at Albany, SUNY where he also earned an M.A. in Latin American & Caribbean Studies, and an M.A. in Hispanic Studies. He earned his B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies at SUNY Brockport. He is currently finishing his doctoral thesis in Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University. His research focuses on the ways in which Latinx institutional agents employ their cultural wealth at Hispanic-serving community colleges in New England.