Undergraduate Education

The Office of Undergraduate Education focuses on undergraduate teaching, learning, and academic mentoring. Areas that fall within Undergraduate Education include the Core Curriculum, John Sexton and Lisa Goldberg Academic Resource Center, Writing Center, Hilary Ballon Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Registrar, Academic Policies, and the Office of Student Research.

Providing enrichment resources for students at all stages of their academic development, the Office of Undergraduate Education leads initiatives that support and improve undergraduate teaching and learning, engages students with faculty, and administers academic misconduct policies and procedures. The Office plays a critical part in advancing the NYUAD Academic Strategy to ensure a transformative global education experience for all undergraduate students, and support a rigorous, global liberal arts curriculum for NYUAD.

The Vice Provost oversees and coordinates assessment processes across the campus; provides support and information to faculty and programs; advances efforts in collecting and using information about student learning; ensures the delivery of essential academic support services to undergraduate students; and provides students and faculty with resources that promote academic excellence and student success.

Leading the Office of Undergraduate Education, Erich provides strategic vision and leadership for NYUAD’s outstanding global undergraduate academic experience, including curricular diversity and innovative pedagogical practices, the Core Curriculum, academic advising, undergraduate academic policies, maintaining a climate of academic integrity, academic writing, interdisciplinary and cross-divisional curricula, multi-divisional programs, and undergraduate student research. Additionally, his office provides enrichment resources for students at all stages of academic development and leads initiatives that support and improve undergraduate teaching and learning.

Erich joined us in September 2023 from NYU New York, where he most recently held the position of Clinical Professor of Higher Education and International Education in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Erich was also  the Associate Academic Director of the NYU Abu Dhabi Summer Academy and Sheikh Mohammed Scholars Program from  2019-2023.

With a focus on diversity and equity in higher education, Erich’s research examines race, affirmative action, and national identity in 21st century Brazil. His career as a scholar and administrator in international higher education has led to multiple awards: he was honored with NYU Steinhardt’s Teaching Excellence Award; was a Visiting Expert on Capacity Building in International Higher Education in Greece, sponsored by the Fulbright Foundation, the US Embassy, and the Greek Ministry of Education; was a recipient of a Fulbright International Education Administrator Award to India; he was honored with NYU’s Distinguished Administrator Award; and he has been a Board Member of AIEA, the most senior leadership association in international higher education. Erich serves as an Ambassador for the Living Values Project of the Magna Charta Universitatum Observatory, and he is currently on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for higher education.

Erich earned his Ph.D in History of Education from NYU New York, his MA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his BA, magna cum laude, from Carleton College. Erich formerly held the posts of Associate Dean for Global and Academic Affairs at NYU Steinhardt and Assistant Vice President of NYU Global Programs from 2014-2019. 

Key People