The Reporter: February 1997, Vol.8, No.1
Personnel News
New AVP for Human Resources

Photo by Jonathan Smith

Galene Kessin, former assistant dean/assistant vice president for educational administration, has been appointed assistant vice president for human resources. Ms. Kessin succeeds Sybil Williams, who left the University last fall.

Ms. Kessin has been with the Health Sciences Division since 1986 when she took the post as business manager in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics. Later, she transferred to the dean's office, where she administered the Robert Wood Johnson grant for revision of the medical school curriculum. Before joining Columbia, Ms. Kessin managed a mental health and substance abuse clinic on Cape Cod.

Recently, Ms. Kessin served as head of the Health Sciences team negotiating the renewal contract for the Supporting Staff Association. Ms. Kessin describes her new position as a big change. "I'm coming into this job at a time when there are a lot of opportunities for critically reviewing all our processes, such as how we recruit and hire, how we train and evaluate employees, and how we pay them and provide benefits," she says. "I look forward to a lot of positive changes."

In her new position, Ms. Kessin will continue to oversee the administration of the Office of Academic Appointments and Promotions. Her new office is in the Human Resources suite in the Black Building, Room 112. Her telephone number is 305-3819 (ext. 73819).