Kamala Kiem, incoming dean of Undergraduate Student Life
Kamala C. Kiem has been appointed Dean of Undergraduate Student Life for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, effective July 28, 2025.
Kiem joins Columbia from Clark University, where she has served as associate provost for student success and dean of students. As dean of Undergraduate Student Life, she will lead teams across the divisions of Residential Life, Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs, whose primary focus is building a vibrant and inclusive undergraduate community. Her selection followed a national search that involved students, staff, faculty and University partners.
“In addition to a steadfast commitment to building enriching undergraduate communities, Dr. Kiem brings a wealth of leadership experience with her to Columbia,” said Josef Sorett, dean of Columbia College and vice president for undergraduate education. “At a time when our students face so many competing pressures, this work is more critical than ever and we look forward to working alongside Dr. Kiem.”
Before Clark, Kiem spent more than a decade at Fairfield University in progressive leadership roles, including as associate dean of students, where she developed integrated onboarding and orientation programs, advanced first-year and living-learning communities and created influential peer leadership and student development models. Earlier in her career, she served in residence life and student development roles at Smith College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Michigan State University, building foundational programs in community and student development, conflict resolution and peer leadership.
“Dr. Kiem has built a remarkable career as a student life professional with a demonstrated commitment to supporting undergraduate student success, and she will be a wonderful addition to our community,” said Shih-Fu Chang, dean of Columbia Engineering.
Kiem received her Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Massachusetts Boston and holds master’s degrees in student affairs administration (Michigan State University) and social justice education (UMass Amherst). Outside of work, she enjoys playing strategic board games such as Catan, Pandemic, Terraforming Mars and Agricola. Kiem will join the Columbia community along with her triplet daughters as they begin their next chapter in New York City.
“My recent visit to Columbia left me deeply inspired by our students’ passion, thoughtfulness and commitment to the greater good,” Kiem said. “Even in passing moments, students continued to share more of themselves and asked thoughtful questions that reflected a genuine curiosity about who I am. Our conversations reflected mutual respect, reciprocity and authentic dialogue rooted in deep listening and shared understanding — and affirmed my calling to serve this remarkable community.”