Sandra Hamar is Columbia College's new provost and vice president for academic affairs

Sandra Hamar is Columbia College's new provost and vice president for academic affairs as of Monday.

Before Monday she had served as dean of the School of Public Service. Hamar replaces Pivusha Singh, who resigned for another leadership opportunity.

Columbia College President David Russell made the appointment.

Hamar joined Columbia College in 2017 as an associate professor of education. She became department chair in 2020. She also has served as interim dean of the former School of Humanities and the Robert W. Plaster School of Business.

As dean of the School of Public Service, Hamar oversaw the departments of education, criminal justice and nursing.

Before coming to Columbia College, Hamar served as associate dean for the Gleazer School of Undergraduate Programs and assistant professor of education at Graceland University in Iowa.

She has a bachelor's degree from Graceland, a master's degree in elementary education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a doctorate in educational organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University.

“I look forward to working closely with our faculty and staff to ensure the opportunities that Columbia College provides are tailored toward the needs of current and future students, offered through programs that are personalized and flexible,” Hamar said in a news release. “I want to thank Dr. Russell for his leadership and direction, and I am excited to build upon the foundation Dr. Singh expertly helped lay.”

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Sandra Hamar, the new Columbia College provost, arrived in 2017