Syracuse University’s Alford to depart for University at Buffalo dean job

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Keith A. Alford, chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), at Syracuse University, is leaving Syracuse this summer to become dean of the University at Buffalo’s (UB) School of Social Work.

Alford, who has been a member of the Syracuse University faculty for 25 years in the School of Social Work in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will begin his new position on Aug. 15, Syracuse announced on May 26. He will serve as CDIO until his departure. Syracuse Chancellor Ken Syverud appointed Alford as CDIO in May 2019. Alford previously held the role of interim CDIO since July 2018, when the university announced it was creating the CIDO position.

“Keith has spearheaded vital initiatives to advance diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility throughout our campus community,” Syverud said. “Keith is well known on our campus for his grace, compassion and commitment to serving our students. His long and distinguished career at Syracuse University will have a lasting impact on our community. He will be missed by all who’ve worked closely with him over the years.”

In his new role at UB, Alford will be a member of the university’s senior leadership team, working with the president, provost, deans, and other senior leaders to advance the university’s academic mission. As the chief academic and administrative officer of the School of Social Work, he will report to the provost and executive VP for academic affairs and will be charged with leading a new strategic planning cycle that incorporates diversity, inclusion, and social-justice efforts into the vision for the school.

During his tenure at Syracuse University, Alford was a professor and chair of the Falk College’s School of Social Work, and at separate times as its graduate and undergraduate program director. Alford’s areas of specialization include mental-health service delivery to children and families, culturally specific programming for children in out-of-home care, contemporary rites of passage programming and loss/grief reactions among African American families. He served on the Faculty Senate Committee on Diversity, the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, and as an advisor to the Student of Color Advisory Committee.

Alford received a Ph.D. from the College of Social Work at Ohio State University (OSU). He earned a master’s degree in social work from OSU, and a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology from Coker University in South Carolina.