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About the Provost

Commencement

Dr. Carl Kemnitz is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He started at CSUSM during remote operations, leading the academic response to the pandemic, and now guides its reemergence from pandemic operations as a regional anchor institution that is centered on inclusive academic excellence and student success.  

He was drawn to CSUSM, having found a campus whose passion for student success matched his own. He partners with the vice president for Student Affairs and many other campus leaders to align those student success efforts.  

Dr. Kemnitz co-chaired the university strategic planning steering committee responsible for developing the new strategic plan, The Power of CSUSM, which will guide the campus over the next five to seven years as a vehicle of student social mobility. As a strong faculty advocate and supporter of equity and inclusion, he was proud to sponsor the university’s first faculty cluster hire in diversity and equity.  

He came to CSUSM as an accomplished academic leader with broad experience in the CSU system, having served as senior vice provost for Academic Affairs at San José State University. At CSU Bakersfield he served in a variety of faculty and administrative roles, including associate vice president for Academic Programs, dean of Undergraduate Studies, dean of Graduate Studies, associate dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, chair of the Department of Chemistry, and director for several successful STEM diversity programs.  

Dr. Kemnitz has a proven record of working collaboratively across divisions and with a variety of campus constituents.