John Coatsworth Named Interim Dean of SIPA

May 31, 2007

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community,

I am very pleased to announce that John Coatsworth has agreed to serve as interim dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, effective July 1. John is one of the nation's leading historians on the political economy and international relations of Latin America , and besides his academic achievements, he brings both significant administrative experience and a fresh perspective to his new role. Having served as a visiting professor at Columbia this past year, he is now preparing for his first year with us as a full Professor of History and International and Public Affairs.

John joins us from Harvard University, where he has distinguished himself as an active faculty member since 1992. From 1994 to 2006, he served as the founding Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies--now the largest center of its kind in the world. He also chaired the Harvard faculty Committee on Human Rights, as well as the Committee on Education Abroad, which overhauled Harvard's undergraduate international study program. From 1969 to 1992, John taught at the University of Chicago, where he chaired the History Department and directed the university's Center for Latin American Studies. A past president of the American Historical Association, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Directors of the Tinker Foundation, and numerous professional associations. In 2005, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

John is also a greatly admired teacher and mentor, and we are extremely fortunate to have him take on the responsibility of leading SIPA at this critical time in the school's history.

Let me again thank Lisa Anderson for her decade of leadership at the school and for her longtime service to Columbia that continues. The international search for a permanent dean will continue into the next academic year. I have asked Provost Alan Brinkley and Vice President for Arts and Sciences Nick Dirks to continue leading the search process for candidates. I also want to thank Nick and Alan for assuring that, in the interim, SIPA will be in John Coatsworth's able hands.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger