AIC Names Mika Nash Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

SPRINGFIELD — Effective July 30, Mika Nash will join American International College (AIC) as executive vice president for Academic Affairs. She comes to AIC from Champlain College in Vermont, where she served as dean of Continuing Professional Studies.

Nash has more than 20 years of experience in the field of higher education, with the majority of her career spent in senior leadership. In her most recent role, she was tasked with the development and administration of all academic and operational responsibilities associated with running the Continuing Professional Studies academic unit with management oversight for all curricula, academic programs, academic policies, articulation agreements, eLearning, faculty recruiting, training and development, and building student, family, and academic support services. A particular area of interest and scholarship for Nash continues to be technology innovation to expand the student experience and engagement in course content.

During her tenure with Champlain College, Nash oversaw enrollment growth from 900 active students to its current enrollment of 3,500 and doubled the portfolio of academic offerings from 30 to 65 programs. The division of Continuing Professional Studies at Champlain College serves undergraduate and graduate students in degree and certificate programs in business, accounting, information technology, and healthcare administration.

In addition to expanding academic programs and increasing enrollment while at the college, Nash sat on the provost council and was a voting member of the Curriculum Committee and Faculty Senate. Further, she served as a long-standing member of the President’s Diversity Council for the institution, was a founding member of the Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Committee, and was a graduate of and co-teacher for Intercultural University.

“I was drawn to AIC because its mission is one that resonates for me — initially built as an institution focused on providing educational opportunities to immigrants and then expanding the vision to a diverse student body, grounding that academic journey in liberal arts and a career-focused major,” Nash said. 

Prior to joining Champlain College in 2007, Nash served as dean for the School of Hospitality and Restaurant Management at the New England Culinary Institute. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Vermont. She has a doctorate in higher educational leadership and policy studies.

“We look forward to Dr. Nash becoming AIC’s next academic leader. This is a very exciting time, especially with the opening of the Colaccino Center for Health Sciences this fall,” said AIC President Vince Maniaci. “Dr. Nash’s previous experience and educational philosophy blends well with our commitment to provide access and opportunity for students in their pursuit of a degree while growing our programs to help graduates meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.”