Riedinger recommended as dean of MSU International Studies and Programs

Contact: Ike Val Iyioke, University Relations: (517) 432-0924, ike@msu.edu  

May 25, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jeff Riedinger, acting dean of Michigan State University International Studies and Programs (ISP) since 2005, has been recommended as its new dean.

Riedinger’s appointment is subject to approval by the MSU Board of Trustees. If approved, his appointment would be effective immediately. It is scheduled to be on the agenda for the board’s June 15 meeting.

“Through his already significant service to the university, Jeff has demonstrated that he possesses the practical skills and vision to advance the missions and goals of both ISP and the university,” said MSU Provost Kim Wilcox. “His work as acting dean, associate dean and assistant dean has kept him at the center of MSU’s international ventures, soundly preparing him for the position of dean.”

Riedinger joined the MSU faculty in 1990 as an adjunct professor in the Department of Resource Development.

He has held several other positions since then, including associate professor in the same department; assistant dean and associate dean of ISP; professor in the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies; coordinator of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program; and director of the Center for Advanced Study of International Development.

“I am extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with the faculty, students, staff and alumni of Michigan State University to enhance our international programming on campus and around the world,” said Riedinger. “MSU's history of international engagement is extraordinary. It provides an unparalleled foundation for our efforts to expand our international collaborations to address some of the world's most pressing challenges.”

Before coming to MSU, Riedinger was an assistant in instruction at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University from 1988-89. Prior to that he was a research assistant at Princeton University – Asian Development Bank. During 1978-1986, he served as a research consultant at the School of Law, University of Washington. From 1985-86, he was an adjunct professor at the Evergreen State College.

Born in California, Riedinger earned his bachelor’s in government and Latin American studies from Dartmouth College; juris doctor degree in environmental and natural resource law from University of Washington Law School; and doctorate from the Woodrow School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

His international experience includes working and doing research in more than 16 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Western Europe.

Riedinger would succeed John Hudzik, who served as ISP dean from 1995-2005.

Visit www.isp.msu.edu/ for more information on MSU international studies and programs.

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 16 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.