Leadership

Erik T. Nelson 

Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Dr. Erik Nelson is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia University in the School of Professional Studies (SPS). Dr. Nelson is charged with establishing a unified vision for the Academic Affairs unit, providing curricular leadership to the school’s portfolio of academic offerings, including 6 academic divisions, 14 master’s degree programs and a growing suite of professional programs.

Focusing on developing best in class, academically rigorous face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning programs, he models and supports an entrepreneurial mindset throughout the organization, assisting colleagues to produce and deliver market-driven cross-disciplinary programming. Dr. Nelson also leads the effort to build a constant culture of assessment at the school, ensuring that all SPS programs attain academic excellence. Additional responsibilities include chairing the Academic Excellence Committee, developing academic policy, coordinating Middle States Accreditation reporting, establishing an outcomes-oriented educational research agenda, as well as overseeing institutional, state, and national regulatory matters.

Dr. Nelson is also tasked with building coalitions within the University, raising the visibility of SPS Academic Offerings at Columbia, establishing productive working relationships across a wide variety of individuals and groups, and is a leading voice for the organization in both internal and external settings. Prior to this position, Dr. Nelson was the Associate Dean for Online Learning at Columbia University. 

Tiffany Hughes

Associate Dean of Academic Programs

Tiffany Hughes is the Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies. She was formerly the Associate Dean of Students at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies. In that role, she had oversight of Advising, Student Life, and Student Support. In addition, her team oversaw Student Conduct, Housing, Global Programs, and many other initiatives that improved the student experience for current SPS students. Dr. Hughes has 10 years of experience working in student affairs and has held previous roles at Stevens Institute of Technology, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and SUNY University at Buffalo. She serves on the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region II Advisory Board in a variety of capacities, has presented at conferences across the globe, and has published on topics related to student support and engagement strategies.  

Tiffany completed her Doctor of Education degree at Northeastern University with a concentration in Higher Education Administration.  She holds a Master of Education degree in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in Student Affairs from SUNY University at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Quinnipiac University. Her area of research focuses on the importance of student engagement for graduate students and the impact extracurricular programming has on the graduate student experience.

In her spare time, Tiffany likes spending time with her family at the beach, traveling, and spoiling her golden retriever, Zoey. 

Karen McFadden

Associate Dean of Academic Services & Innovation