Priscilla Yuen is a higher education leader and policy operations professional with extensive experience spanning academic administration, institutional strategy, and international education. Her work encompasses graduate degree programs, executive and customized education, and globally distributed learning, bringing together academic strategy, program design, and institutional leadership across diverse professional and international settings.
She serves as Assistant Dean of Specialized Degree Programs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she provides strategic and operational leadership for graduate programs serving mid-career and senior professionals from governments, central banks, multilateral institutions, international organizations, think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, and the private sector. Her portfolio spans academic operations, faculty engagement, recruitment, program development, student experience, and complex initiatives that advance the School’s academic and institutional priorities.
Working closely with faculty directors and senior academic leadership, Priscilla translates academic priorities into thoughtful program structures, effective operating models, and sustainable institutional practices. Her work sits at the intersection of curriculum, faculty engagement, student experience, recruitment, communications, and cross-functional operations, with a particular focus on strengthening the connection between academic ambition and institutional execution.
Her career has included work with internationally engaged institutions and diverse professional communities across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her professional interests sit at the intersection of higher education leadership, organizational strategy, international public policy, and the evolving models through which institutions educate and prepare professionals to work across borders, sectors, and disciplines.
Priscilla holds an M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese.
