Biography

A seasoned senior university administrator, Dr. Hand is an educational change agent and champion for best practices that deliver superior ROI and academic results. Since 2011, he has applied disciplined, agile methods and worked across the entire university community to achieve strategic goals for 2023 set forth by the President with dramatic improvements across most major functions including—expanding access to college education, increasing quality of the incoming freshman classes, increasing affordability for New Jersey students and student retention to drive forward Rowan’s role as an economic engine. He is also a member of the faculty in Management Information Systems in Rowan’s Rohrer College of Business. Committed to excellence, Dr. Hand serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet. He has led multiple committees in recruiting practices, college affordability, college access and social media in designing campaigns and successfully generating additional income for college tuition and expenses.

The Division of Strategic Enrollment Management encompasses key areas at Rowan committed to attracting high caliber students and retaining them through graduation. Under Dr. Hand’s leadership, the Division has improved retention rates, enhanced graduation rates and increased enrollment. Rowan is now ranked as the 4th fastest growing institution in the country, ranked 6th in the country for growth in diversity, and significantly improved almost every metric within the Division. Performance highlights include an increase in SAT scores since 2011, increase in transfer students year after year, and an increase in the total application pool by 80 percent.

Prior to joining Rowan in 2011, Dr. Hand was Assistant Vice President for Outreach at the Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA., where he was responsible for leading a successful effort of transformation, revitalization and re-engineering of a complex mix of business models. He previously served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Post University, Waterbury, CT and also held several positions at Drexel University, including Associate Dean of the Goodwin College and Adjunct Professor in the College of Information Sciences.

Dr. Hand received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Temple University. He received his M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University and his Ph.D. degree in Information Systems from Drexel University. In addition, he is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).