UConn Hartford Names Director of Academic Affairs

Saran Stewart has been named Director of Academic Affairs at UConn Hartford

Dr. Saran Stewart, newly appointed Director of Academic Affairs at UConn Hartford.

Dr. Saran Stewart, newly appointed Director of Academic Affairs at UConn Hartford (contributed photo).

Associate Professor, Saran Stewart, has been named Director of Academic Affairs for UConn Hartford. Since 2020 she has been teaching in the Department of Educational Leadership at the Neag School of Education.

Campus Director Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, in announcing the appointee for the new position says, “I am excited to work with Dr. Stewart, as she supports our faculty and their teaching and research on campus. In addition to her years of experience working in senior administration as the Deputy Dean of the College of Humanities and Education at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Stewart’s research and teaching expertise will further UConn Hartford’s mission to engage in experiential learning opportunities and solution-oriented services in the state capital that change communities for the better.”

In this campus role, Dr. Stewart will work with faculty and serve as the primary faculty partner in the Campus Director’s Office to provide support and guidance related to academic matters. She began the position at UConn Hartford on August 23, 2022. She will continue teaching courses in Educational Leadership.

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Dr. Stewart has over 13 years of experience as a higher education administrator, professor, and scholar-activist across the globe. She serves as Director of Global Education at the Neag School. Her areas of specialization are in international and comparative higher education; the experiences of marginalized faculty and staff in higher education utilizing intersectionality, critical race theory, postcolonial, decolonial, (post)diasporic, and critical and inclusive pedagogical theories; and teaching and learning in local and global contexts, especially in the Caribbean. Saran holds a BA (English and International Studies), MA (International Administration), MBA (Marketing) and Ph.D. in Higher Education with concentration in Diversity and Higher Learning and specialization in International Education Development.

“I am excited to be working with such an incredible community at the Hartford Campus committed to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion,” Stewart says. “I am particularly looking forward to supporting the amazing faculty and their continued commitment to our students’ success and the wider Hartford community.”