Keuka College has named Dr. Amy Cotner as its new Associate Vice President for Student Life & Dean of Students.
The longtime educator and administrator comes to Keuka Park from Penn State University, where she most recently served as Assistant Director/Commonwealth Campuses & Intake, Office of Sexual Misconduct and Response. In that role, she oversaw reports of sexual and gender-based harassment at the 24-campus, 100,000-student university system.
“Keuka College and the Student Development division are fortunate to have Dr. Amy Cotner join us to lead student development initiatives that include the student life experience, diversity/equity/inclusion oversight, retention, and Title IX compliance,” said Keuka College Vice President for Student Development Dr. Heather Maldonado. “Dr. Cotner brings a wealth of experience in these areas and will help us create, implement, and assess a comprehensive retention and student-success plan that will improve student outcomes.”
Dr. Cotner will work closely with Keuka College’s Student Development leadership team to provide support services essential to student enrichment and success. She’ll also be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Student Life department while serving as the College’s subject-matter expert on all aspects of Title IX and related federal and state laws.
“My experience working as a specialist in sexual misconduct (Title IX), particularly with federal and state compliance needs, will allow me to bring a different lens to some of the work I do to better serve students and Keuka College,” said Dr. Cotner. “In addition, my experience working in health care education provides insight in community collaborative opportunities, as well as effective transformational leadership.”
Dr. Cotner spent five and a half years at Penn State University, where, prior to her most recent position, she served as Education Program Associate, Title IX. She has also held administrative and educational roles at Penn State Mont Alto, Bucknell University, Lock Haven University, Lycoming College, and Clarion University, all in Pennsylvania, and the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, among other institutions.
“My recent experience may be from a large university but the majority of my career has been working for small campuses, similar to the size of Keuka College,” said Dr. Cotner. “The opportunity to return to a small campus environment, where there are more opportunities to impact the overall student experiences as I develop connections with students, attracted me to this position.”
Dr. Cotner earned her Doctorate in Education in Administration and Leadership and her Masters of Arts in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Penn State University.
“I have no doubt that Dr. Cotner’s expertise and person-centered approach will benefit the Keuka College community quickly and transformationally,” added Dr. Maldonado.
