Dr. Cindy Kane is a higher education leader with over 25 years of experience advancing collaborative transformation initiatives in both public and private institutions. Dr. Kane most recently served as Assistant Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Bridgewater State University (MA), where she spearheaded divisional initiatives focused on academic innovation and equity-minded transformational change to advance student success. She successfully guided divisional strategic planning, provided leadership for a number of priority faculty development areas, and established collaborative structures that strengthened leadership, communication, and professional learning across campus units. Most recently, she has served as one of the liaisons leading Foundations of Excellence and one of the campus leads within the first cohort of Transforming the Foundational Postsecondary Experience.
Dr. Kane was named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow in 2016-2017 and was hosted by Wheaton College, where she worked with faculty and administrative leaders to begin their design of a comprehensive student success strategy. Her experience has also included leadership roles in student involvement departments at three institutions, where she developed nationally recognized student engagement programs and led growth in student leadership development, orientation, student union programs, international student services, and fraternity and sorority advising.
Her scholarly contributions include publications in the Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship and New Directions for Student Leadership. She has been recognized with the Dissertation of the Year award from the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) and with the Founders Award from NACA. She has been a long-time volunteer leader in the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), having served on its Board of Directors, as a founding board member for the Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship, and as national convention chair. Beyond her administrative roles, Dr. Kane has also taught graduate courses in higher education leadership for over 15 years and is a Gallup-certified Strengths coach. She has been a frequent speaker and facilitator at a variety of professional meetings and workshops, in addition to consulting on specific work with campus leaders seeking to maximize important outcomes for their students.
Dr. Kane holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a master’s degree from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College. She is deeply committed to effective leadership for institutional change through transformative practices in higher education and the opportunities for innovation that arise from a genuine understanding of students’ lived experiences.
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