April Bedford, the former dean of the School of Education for eight years, has been appointed provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs beginning April 1, 2024. As senior associate provost for academic programs and services during the past academic year, Bedford supervised the college’s student support and opportunity programs, including working with 19 faculty members across all five schools to develop new first-year seminars launched last fall. “April Bedford is an accomplished leader with a proven track record who possesses a deep understanding of the faculty experience and student-faculty relationships at Brooklyn College that will serve our institution well,” President Michelle J. Anderson said. “I look forward to working with her and our entire faculty and staff moving forward to offer transformational educational opportunities to our students.” “I am excited about this new role and look forward to collaborating with all of the stakeholders involved with our strategic planning process and other critical educational initiatives, so that we continue to ensure our students have an outstanding experience at each phase of their educational journey,” Bedford said. This academic year, while serving as interim provost, Bedford and Senior Vice President Alan Gilbert have also co-chaired the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. During her time at the college, she has also served in critical roles supporting educational priorities throughout New York State, including: serving as president of the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; co-chairing a statewide working group on clinical practice for the New York State Education Commissioner; working on the New York Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching and being appointed by the New York State Board of Regents as a member of the Early Childhood Blue Ribbon Committee; and being the principal investigator for the Teacher Opportunity Corps and launching the NYC Men Teach program at the college, both of which have prepared more male teachers of color in our city and state. Before coming to Brooklyn College, Bedford served for 11 years on the faculty at the University of New Orleans, where she was elected to the Faculty Senate and chaired the University Policy Committee. She was a faculty member and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and interim dean of the College of Education for three years. Her scholarship has focused on literacy and children’s literature, and she remains active in the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English and the American Library Association.
