Dr. Christopher J. Cyphers Named Provost at School of Visual Arts

July 31, 2018, New York, NY—School of Visual Arts President David Rhodes has announced the appointment of Dr. Christopher J. Cyphers as provost of the College, effective August 1, 2018. Cyphers succeeds Jeffrey D. Nesin, who has stepped down after eight years of outstanding service as provost. This is Cyphers’ second time in the role, having served as the College’s first provost, from 2002 through 2008. As provost, Cyphers serves as the chief academic officer at SVA.

Cyphers, a noted thought leader on accreditation, governance, planning and assessment, has been an integral part of SVA’s executive leadership since joining the College in 1999 as director of Institutional Research and Assessment. In that role, as provost and most recently as vice president for Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment and Planning, Cyphers has used his expertise to help steer SVA’s institutional vision, strategic plan and academic success.

Prior to returning to SVA in 2017, Cyphers served for four years as president of the New York School of Interior Design, and for five years as provost and executive vice president at LIM College in New York City. Over the last 15 years, Cyphers has been active as an accreditation evaluator who served as team chair of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, New York State Board of Regents and New York State Education Department’s Office of College and University Evaluation.

Before starting his career in higher education administration, Cyphers taught at a variety of public and private college and universities in Massachusetts and New York, beginning in 1992. 

Cyphers has written on the value of a liberal arts education, promoting diversity and the methodology for reviewing institutional effectiveness in publications such as the American Journal of Legal History, Currents and University Business. He has given lectures and presentations at institutions throughout the country on topics such as art and design higher education, best practices in institutional research and assessment, and community relations and fundraising. 

Cyphers received his PhD in American political, cultural and intellectual history at the State University of New York at Albany, a MA in liberal studies from Wesleyan University and a BA in political science from Hampden-Sydney College. He is the current chair of the board of trustees of Christie’s Education and an active member of the American Historical Association, Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, College Art Association and Society for College and University Planning, among other organizations.  

“In the decade I was away working at two different colleges here in New York, SVA never quite left my system,” Cyphers says. “It was the benchmark against which I measured excellence, in all its permutations, in the education of creatives and makers. All the while, I saw the remarkable changes occurring at SVA, including the pursuit of not-for-profit status, and I wanted to be a part of those changes. Now that I have returned, I eagerly look forward to helping write the next—and very important—chapter in our school’s history. One of the great rewards of being provost is having the ability to be a part of the most important discussions about our future, and the ability to collaborate with my colleagues to translate ideas into a plan of action, one that will further solidify our place as a leader in the education of artists and designers.”

With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, a dynamic curriculum and an emphasis on critical thinking, the School of Visual Arts has been a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility for seven decades. Comprising 6,000 students at its Manhattan campus and nearly 37,000 alumni in 75 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 32 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.