Our Team

Rob Mack joined The New School as Vice Provost for Student Success and Engagement in August 2022. In this role, he is responsible for strategically leading the area of Student Success and Engagement and supporting and improving New School students' experiences outside the classroom, in close collaboration with the colleges and academic experience. This includes oversight of the areas of Academic Advising and Career Development, Student Affairs, and Student Health Services.

Rob brings with him over 20 years of higher education experience and a background in clinical psychology. Before joining The New School, he served as associate provost and chief diversity officer at Tufts University, providing diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice strategic consultation and vision for the senior leadership. Working closely with faculty, staff, and students, Rob helped foster a culture of belonging grounded in best practices, education, and support. He led and supported projects such as the Tufts Anti-Racism Initiative, the institutional inclusion climate survey, education learning opportunities focused on oppression, and programs for the university community centered on dialogue.

Rob’s background in the areas of student success and student engagement is both deep and broad. At Tufts, Rob also served as associate dean for the Office of Student Success and Academic Advising in Student Affairs; earlier he served as the associate dean for Undergraduate Education in Academic Affairs. He is very proud of his work launching and directing the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts program for students who are the first generation to attend college, students on financial aid, and students with undocumented status.

Rob received his EdD in Educational Leadership & Supervision from American International College, his MEd in Counseling in Mental Health from the University of Massachusetts, and his BA in Psychology from Westfield State University.

Dr. Shondrika Merritt has more than 20 years of experience in progressive student affairs leadership. She joined The New School community in 2019 and was appointed associate provost for Student Affairs and dean of Students in 2022, following her service as interim associate provost for Student Success. In 2025, Shondrika was promoted to senior associate provost for Student Affairs, expanding her portfolio to include the Equity and Belonging unit, which encompasses the HEOP Program, First-Generation Initiatives, and student engagement focused on equity and belonging programming.

In her current role, Shondrika provides strategic leadership for Student Affairs, overseeing Housing and Residential Education, Student Equity, Access and Title IX, Student Leadership, Involvement and Transition Programs, Student Support and Advocacy, Student Conduct and Community Standards, the University Student Senate, and the university’s first Student Hub. As dean of Students, she centers her work on compassion, care, and connection—ensuring that every student feels seen, supported, and valued. She facilitates a vibrant and inclusive campus life where students can engage fully, build relationships, and grow both personally and academically. Through collaboration with students, faculty, staff, and community partners, she fosters a culture of belonging and well-being that anchors the student experience at The New School.

Shondrika earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shawnee State University, a master’s degree in college student personnel from the University of Dayton, and a doctorate in education from Temple University. Her doctoral research explores how race, history, and culture shape African American women’s attitudes and perceptions toward sexual violence. Through this work, she amplifies the voices and lived experiences of African American women.

Shondrika views her role as a partnership and welcomes all community members, including parents and families, to contact her and connect.

Tracy Robin currently serves as senior associate provost for Student Health and Wellness. In that role, Tracy oversees medical and counseling services, public health services, the Student Health Insurance Plan, and immunization and COVID 19 compliance. Tracy joined the university in 2000 as a therapist at the counseling center, and took on increasing responsibilities as an administrator during the following years. Tracy sees health and social justice as inextricably linked, and with their team has created and supported programs and services over the years that integrate equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Before joining The New School, Tracy worked for more than ten years as a therapist and clinical supervisor in NYC hospital-based trauma programs, serving survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Tracy’s work draws on feminist, multicultural, trauma-informed, and psychodynamic perspectives.

Tracy received their MSW from New York University and their BA in Sociology from Ithaca College. Tracy went on to get a certificate in Gender Conscious Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy from The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute and has received intensive training in dialectical behavioral therapy and EMDR. Tracy is also trained as a Reiki practitioner and an acupuncture detoxification specialist. Tracy co-wrote an article published in the Journal of American College Health titled “Provision of Auricular Acupuncture and Acupressure in a University Setting,” which created a path for colleges around the country to introduce this wellness practice on their campuses. Tracy is pursuing her Doctor of Social Work degree at Simmons University and is expected to complete her studies in May 2026.

Brian Fuller joined The New School in 2022 as associate provost for Strategy and Operations within Student Success. In this role, Brian oversaw the launch of the student veterans initiative, which led to the creation of the Center for Military-Affiliated Students, spearheaded student success retention efforts resulting in an increase in overall student retention from 2023 to 2024, and led the development and execution of operational, financial, and strategic visions for Student Success. In 2025, he was appointed senior associate provost for Student Success Strategies. In his expanded role, he oversees coordinated academic advising, career development, military-affiliated and non-traditional student support, strategic communications, signature university events, and other retention initiatives to ensure that students can thrive and graduate.

Before joining The New School, Brian worked at the New York City Department of Education, where he helped manage the NYC Community Schools initiative, was chief of staff to the deputy chancellor, and served as chief strategy officer for School Planning and Development. Brian also consulted for various school districts and nonprofit organizations, most notably LearnLaunch, where he developed and facilitated equity and strategy workshops for hundreds of educational leaders across Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, Brian launched the Philadelphia region of an educational nonprofit, The DREAM Program, serving youth living in low-income housing in Philadelphia. He received a Community Celebrity Award from Cabot Creamery for his work. He also taught third grade at Success Academy Charters in New York City.

Brian is the author of Being Black in America's Schools (2024), a book outlining the inherent racial and social injustices in the U.S. education system. His work has been featured in Forbes and other prominent publications. 

Brian received his undergraduate degree from Emory University and later received his MEd in School Leadership and Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During his time at Harvard, he was awarded membership in the Harvard Graduate School Leadership Institute through the Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership.

Tet Lopez-Rabson joined Student Success in September 2024 as associate provost for Student Retention and Evaluation. Tet oversees a department focused on driving student retention, academic advising, and robust assessment of student experience at The New School. She leads data-driven evaluation of practices and policies to enable us to support our students better.

Tet’s journey at The New School began in 2014, when she joined the Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS) department. Before coming to The New School, Tet started a career as an intern in institutional research (IR) at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Canada, in 2003. Rising from IR intern to IR director, she led grant-funded student retention research involving six colleges in the greater Toronto area. 

Tet received her bachelor’s in Applied Economics from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and her MS in Higher Education Administration from Sanford College of Education, National University. Tet’s career includes positions as a research associate at the WorldFish Center (an international nonprofit research headquartered in Malaysia and dedicated to food security) and senior research consultant with Academica Group (a Canadian research and consulting service for higher education).