As the administrative head of museum studies, Aiken leads one of the largest graduate programs in SU:VPA. He has increased the program budget; implemented curriculum reform; developed concurrent degree options; expanded assistantships and awards; and administered a summer internship program that has helped students gain experience at museums across the United States. He has also developed on-site museum studies summer courses in the United Kingdom, New York City and Washington, D.C. One of the many exhibitions he curated with his graduate students was presented at the Smithsonian in 1993. Aiken served as assistant dean of SU:VPA and was responsible for such areas as graduate education, the college curriculum, and faculty load. He has served on various University committees, including the University Senate Committee on Academic Affairs, which he chaired, and the University Senate Committee on Budget. In 2001, SU:VPA presented Aiken with the Outstanding Faculty Award, and in 2006 the University Graduate School presented him with the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award. Aiken has served as a panelist for the New York State Council for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and has also served as an evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Aiken has curated and organized dozens of exhibitions. His writings have been published in anthologies, scholarly and professional periodicals, and exhibition catalogues and brochures. He has organized panels and presented papers at a broad range of scholarly and professional meetings in the United States and abroad. In 2001 he completed a term as president of the board of directors of the Exhibition Alliance in New York State. He currently serves on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums.