SUNY Old Westbury has hired David J. Lanoue to be provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. He joined the University effective July 1, 2024.
In this role, he serves as the University’s chief academic officer, providing leadership in all aspects of the University’s academic mission and holding responsibility for academic programs and services, broader curricular planning and assessment, general education, the campus library, faculty and academic staff recruitment and retention.
“I am delighted to be joining the outstanding and dedicated faculty and staff of SUNY Old Westbury,” said Dr. Lanoue. “I strongly support the University’s mission and values and look forward to helping provide our students with a high-quality education that will prepare them for lifelong personal growth, exciting and meaningful careers, and effective local, national, and global citizenship.”
A political scientist by training with nearly 40 years of experience in higher education, Lanoue comes to SUNY Old Westbury from Southern Arkansas University, where he served as provost and vice president of academic affairs since 2016. He is an experienced higher education administrator having held a number of leadership roles at various universities since 1990.
Prior to SAU, he was dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hawai‘i Pacific University and, before that, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at Columbus State University in Georgia. Prior to his full-time work in academic administration, he held appointments as professor and department chair at the University of Alabama, Texas Tech University, and the University of California, Riverside. His other faculty appointments were with Illinois State University and the University of Texas at El Paso.
“Dr. Lanoue has in every position distinguished himself as a leader who excels at both strategy and execution,” said University President Timothy Sams. “I am confident his intellect, authenticity, and dedication will greatly benefit our University and its faculty and students.”
Lanoue’s appointment to Old Westbury marks his return to Long Island. He earned both a Ph.D. and M.A. from Stony Brook University. He also possesses a B.A. from University of California, San Diego. He resides in Port Washington, New York.
He is the author of “From Camelot to the Teflon President: Economics and Presidential Popularity. Since 1960,” published in 1988, and co-authored “The Joint Press Conference: The History, Impact, and Prospects of Televised Presidential Debates” in 1991. He has also written two book chapters, some 30 refereed articles, and been a part of more than 30 conference papers and panel discussions. His knowledge and insight of the field of political science has been sought after by media outlets, and he has been quoted in many publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, U.S. News and World Report, Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald, and Washington Times.