This week on SA Voices From the Field, we interviewed Baishakhi Taylor about her own experiences working in Abu Dhabi, after years working in student affairs within the United States.

Baishakhi Taylor is a member of the University's senior leadership team and oversees the Division of Student Affairs, which comprises the following departments: student life, the career development center, community outreach, spiritual life and intercultural education, the student health center, student success and well-being, and athletics.

Baishakhi holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Kentucky, a master's degree in Women's Studies from the University of Northern Iowa, and master's and bachelor's degrees in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. She is fluent in several languages, including Bangla, Hindi/Urdu, and German.

Prior to joining NYU Abu Dhabi, Taylor served as the Dean of the College at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She oversaw academic advising, international students, student affairs, residential life, student engagement, health and counseling services, athletics, career services, and disability services.

Baishakhi joined Smith College from Middlebury College, where she served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and as Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies. During her tenure at Middlebury, Taylor co-led the Alliance for Inclusive Middlebury, a presidential committee charged with developing a strategic plan for making inclusion a priority for the institution.

Prior to her work at Middlebury, Taylor served as the associate dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University and the program director of DukeEngage-Kolkata. She was also a member of the faculty at the Duke Center for South Asian Studies.

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