William I. Brustein, a nationally prominent expert in international strategy in higher education, has been named vice president for global strategies and international affairs effective August 31, 2016. In this new role, he will report directly to Provost Joyce McConnell, leading the University’s existing internationally focused units in building a comprehensive global strategy for West Virginia University.

“We are honored and thrilled to welcome Dr. Brustein to West Virginia University,” said McConnell in announcing the appointment. “He is truly a giant in the field of international affairs, someone who sees opportunities for partnerships and engagement around the globe and knows how to make them happen.”

Since 2009, Brustein has been the vice provost for global strategies and international affairs at The Ohio State University, as well as the president of The Ohio State University Global Gateways, an arm of OSU’s office of international affairs under which the institution has opened offices in Shanghai, Mumbai and S�o Paulo. He is also a professor of sociology, political science and history at OSU and a widely-published scholar in the areas of political extremism and ethnic, religious and racial prejudice. Prior to joining the faculty and administration at OSU, Brustein held a series of increasingly senior administrative positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the University of Pittsburgh. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Utah and the University of Washington and has been a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics and the Freie Universit�t Berlin.

“Dr. Brustein has been enormously successful at other major universities and we fully expect he will bring the same expertise and energy to West Virginia University. To be more strategic in our global affairs is the right step for our faculty, staff and students, as well as for our state.” said President E. Gordon Gee.

West Virginia University currently has professionals in international affairs working in many units, from the Division of Student Life to the Health Sciences Center. McConnell noted that this widespread expertise is a tremendous asset both now and as the university looks toward the future.

“We have faculty and staff across this institution who are passionately dedicated to seeing WVU become a truly global university,” she said. “We need to give them the tools to make that happen, starting with the right leader. William Brustein knows how to make an international vision a reality, as he has proven at OSU. Not only did he oversee the opening of institutional offices abroad, he led his team to develop global competencies for OSU students.”

In 2014, the OSU Office of International Affairs received the National Association of International Educators’ Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization for innovative programs. Brustein himself is also the recipient of the 2013 Charles Klasek Award from the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) for outstanding service to the field of international education administration.

“West Virginia University is one of the nation’s great land grant universities,” Brustein said. “It is an honor to be afforded the opportunity to lead the university’s comprehensive internationalization efforts and to position WVU to become a pre-eminent global university.”

Brustein and McConnell anticipate working closely together over the next few months to establish Brustein’s leadership team and a global strategy for WVU.

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CONTACT: Ann Claycomb; Office of the Provost 304.293.9919; Ann.Claycomb@mail.wvu.edu

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