Dr. Joseph Shenker joined the board of directors of The Wallace Foundation in 2001.

Since 1995, Shenker has served as provost of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, one of the most comprehensive private universities in the United States. He arrived at C.W. Post with a well-established reputation as a pioneer in education, having founded LaGuardia Community College at the age of 30 and later serving as president of Bank Street College of Education.

As chief executive officer for the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville, NY, he is responsible for overall campus operations, which include management of a $170 million budget, admissions and enrollment, student affairs, career placement, financial aid, facilities and grounds, fundraising, and community outreach. In collaboration with the academic vice president and deans, he is responsible for implementing academic policy for C.W. Post’s six schools of study. Shenker also serves as the provost for Long Island University’s graduate campuses in Brentwood, Rockland, Riverhead and Southampton.

With more than 11,000 full- and part-time students, C.W. Post offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs in accountancy, business, computer science, education, liberal arts and sciences, library and information science, health professions and nursing, public service, and visual and performing arts. The C.W. Post Campus awards doctoral degrees in clinical psychology and information studies, and holds elite accreditations from such organizations as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the American Library Association, the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association and the American Chemical Society.

Shenker demonstrates powerful leadership skills and is known for developing innovative new programs and projects. His many accomplishments at C.W. Post include $70 million in new construction and renovations, accreditations for academic programs, integration of extensive new technologies, increased scholarships, development of award-wining co-op and career services, and steady increases in student enrollment. He was also the driving force behind the construction of a nearly $19 million recreation center. He is currently overseeing the restoration of two historic buildings on the campus. In 2003, he spearheaded the development of the Access Program, a comprehensive academic and career advisement plan to aid enrolling freshmen in choosing a college major and career path.

Many of Shenker’s successes at C.W. Post reflect experience gained in leadership roles at area public and private colleges. At the age of 29, he served as acting president of Kingsborough Community College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY). In 1970, the then 30-year-old Shenker was appointed president of Fiorello H. LaGuardia Community College, a comprehensive education college that is part of the CUNY system. At the time of his appointment, the school was not even built. Over his 18-year tenure at LaGuardia, he led the college’s evolution into a respected and innovative two-year college. He also founded the first charter school in the United States in 1974, LaGuardia Middle College High School, and later the International High School in Queens. He spearheaded the creation of one of the nation’s first college-level programs for deaf adults. In July 1988, Shenker accepted an offer to serve as president of Bank Street College of Education. In his seven years there, he consistently pursued the goal of putting Bank Street at the forefront of teacher training, not only in New York City but throughout the United States. He supervised the successful completion of a $13 million capital campaign, the first in the college’s history. He holds the distinguished title of President Emeritus of LaGuardia Community College.

Shenker has served as dean for community colleges under the auspices of the chancellor of CUNY. He has served as senior advisor to the former New York City Board of Education, and was a member of the board of trustees of UNICEF America from 1993 to 1997.  He has made numerous television appearances and written for many academic publications, as well as for New York Newsday and The New York Times Book Review.  He also served as an adjunct graduate professor of multi-cultural education in C.W. Post’s School of Education.

Shenker received his B.A. in psychology and M.A. in economics from Hunter College. He received his Ed.D. in higher education administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.