Rai Kathuria, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Rai Kathuria, Ph.D, is the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs for Empire State University. Previously, Rai served as provost and senior vice president of academic and student affairs for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and was a postdoctoral research fellow in the biochemistry department at Purdue University and at the Cancer Research Institute at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

As provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Rai will be responsible for supporting faculty and staff to advance the university’s commitment to high-quality, accessible education in the state, region, and world. He will champion SUNY Empire's distinctive academic mission and support the faculty and staff who are instrumental in fulfilling that mission. Rai will also lead strategic plan implementation efforts within the Office of Academic Affairs, support initiatives to improve retention and graduation rates, and recruit, retain, and develop a diverse academic workforce.