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Dr. Karim Ismaili is the seventh president of Eastern Connecticut State University. A first-generation immigrant college student raised by a single mother, he brings nearly three decades of higher-education experience to Eastern.
Since arriving at Eastern, Dr. Ismaili has led with a deepened commitment to the University's distinctive identity as Connecticut's public liberal arts university. He launched a campus- and community-wide Listening & Learning Tour, engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni, and regional partners in a sustained conversation about the University's future.Those conversations shaped the Strategic Compass, endorsed in May 2026, a living framework that guides Eastern's priorities. The Compass articulates a new vision for the University: Eastern Connecticut State University aspires to be widely regarded as a premier public liberal arts institution, with graduates who embody the University's mission throughout their lives.
Under Dr. Ismaili's leadership, Eastern implemented its new Liberal Arts Core curriculum (ELAC) in Fall 2024 and launched a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The University has made significant investments in faculty, staff, student success, and athletics, and has launched strategic enrollment initiatives to serve both traditional and emerging student populations. He has enhanced the University's sense of community and belonging, implemented Eastern's Land Acknowledgement, and deepened the University's engagement with Willimantic, the Town of Windham, and the broader region.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Ismaili served as Executive Vice President and Provost at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, where he promoted student success, fostered academic innovation, and advanced educational equity. His tenure there was marked by new degree programs tailored to workforce needs, successful accreditation reviews, and strong academic pathways with other institutions, particularly for low-income, first-generation, and minoritized students. True to his commitment to a liberal arts education, he fostered an environment for the constructive exchange of ideas and a deep respect for the values of free speech and democracy, as evidenced by the creation of the Bartlett Endowed Chair in Free Speech and Expression and the Bartlett Endowed Professorship for Civic Education and Engagement. He has also held academic and administrative roles at Radford University (VA), St. John's University (NY), Kennesaw State University (GA), and Toronto Metropolitan University (Ontario). Earlier in his career, Dr. Ismaili was a policy and research advisor on criminal justice issues in the Government of Canada.
A scholar of crime policy and social theory, Dr. Ismaili holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Philosophy in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Simon Fraser University. He was the editor of and a contributor to widely read works such as U.S. Criminal Justice Policy: A Contemporary Reader and Canadian Criminal Justice Policy: Contemporary Perspectives. His research on immigration, policing, public policy, and criminological thought has been published in various academic journals and featured in national media outlets. Dr. Ismaili is a tenured full professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, and Social Work at Eastern.
Dr. Ismaili lives with his spouse, Wendy, and their Labrador Retriever, Gemma. He is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool Football Club and the English National Football Team. He holds three citizenships (United Kingdom, Canada, and USA) and has a family history with links to East Africa and South Asia.