Current Position and Past Experience
Kara Rabbitt is currently Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives at William Paterson University of New Jersey. She has been with the institution since 1997. In her current role, she oversees the expansion of programs and supports for adult learners and the integration of non-credit pathways into degree programs as well as support for diversity and student success initiatives. She is leading the creation of a new College of Adult and Professional Studies that will include both for-credit and non-credit programs serving adults. Some of her previous roles include Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Associate Dean, and professor.

Education, Honors and Achievements
Rabbitt holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Santa Cruz. She and her team were selected for the 2024 New Jersey Governor’s Team of Excellence award for their work in serving returning some college, no degree students in the state. She participated in the ACE fellowship program in 2019-2020 and engaged that spring with her fellow fellows in a study of crisis leadership across the country and across educational sectors during the onset of COVID 19, published in 2023 as Acute Crisis Leadership in Higher Education: Lessons from the Pandemic (Routledge).

Personal Details and Community Involvement
Rabbitt is committed to battling food insecurity in the communities where she lives and works, serving as donor and volunteer for diverse organizations. A sometimes but passionate gardener and cook, she enjoys sharing her home and table with friends. She also throws pots (on the wheel, not at the wall) to center and destress.