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Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

William McClure leads Academic Affairs, the division of the University with responsibility for all academic programs. The mission of SUNY New Paltz is two-fold: to provide students with a pathway to an academic credential and to provide value to the residents of the State of New York. These two goals fuse when we realize that our graduates are our most valuable contribution to the wider world. The over-arching mission of Academic Affairs at SUNY is to create a community that educates all of its members. Education itself is guided by the principles of academic freedom, ensuring engagement with and respect for free-inquiry and the free-discussion of ideas.

To create this community, the provost is responsible for the planning, development, growth and quality of all academic programs and related support functions. The provost is the chief personnel officer for academic employees and is responsible for hiring and evaluating faculty and ensuring, together with the faculty, that the New Paltz curriculum is relevant, timely and adequately supported. The provost also leads academic strategic planning in support of the institutional strategic plan and develops and administers academic budgets to ensure excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. Academic Affairs at SUNY New Paltz includes the five academic schools – Business, Education, Fine & Performing Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Science & Engineering – as well as Academic Advising, the Sojourner Truth Library; Graduate, Professional, & Interdisciplinary Studies; Continuing & Online Education; the Honors Program; and four specialized centers and institutes that link academic programs to our region and state.

William McClure received his PhD from Cornell University in 1994. A scholar of Japanese language and linguistics, he joined the faculty of the City University of New York in 1997, moving to New York from the University of Durham in northern England. At CUNY, he taught Japanese linguistics at the Graduate Center and Japanese language at Queens College. He is the author or editor of five books on Japanese linguistics, and, at Queens, he built the largest and most comprehensive Japanese language program in New York City. He served as chair of the Department of Classical, Middle Eastern & Asian Languages for seven years and was appointed Dean of Faculty for the Arts and Humanities in 2013. During his time as dean, he also took on the roles of Special Assistant to the Provost for International Affairs and Interim Associate Provost. Working with faculty, staff, and students, he led the founding of the Queens College School of Arts in 2021. He moved to SUNY New Paltz in the summer of 2023.