I am pleased to announce that Jeff Wang will be joining American University as the inaugural Vice Provost for Global and Immersive Studies (VPGIS) following a national search. An innovative leader with deep knowledge of international education, Dr. Wang will lead AU’s newly created Office for Global and Immersive Studies, which brings together AU Abroad, the International Accelerator Programs, the English Language and Training Academy, and the Washington Semester Programs. He will join our community and begin his new role on September 8.

Dr. Wang currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Global Affairs at Rutgers University, having previously held the title of Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Global Affairs for the New Brunswick campus. Since Jeff’s arrival at Rutgers in 2011, his responsibilities have included collaborating with institutional leaders to develop the university’s comprehensive globalization plan and guiding university-wide international strategic initiatives. Dr. Wang has worked with faculty, staff, and administrators to restructure Rutgers’ international recruitment strategy; enhanced international student academic success and retention; improved services to international students and scholars; and created new agreements to expand opportunities in study abroad, faculty exchanges, and service-learning programs. 

He brings to his new role substantial experience in emergency preparedness and crisis management. Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, Dr. Wang coordinated Rutgers’ responses around international travel, study abroad, and services for international students and scholars. He led efforts to create opportunities for international undergraduate students to take courses abroad in their home countries and assisted with the establishment of virtual study abroad programs and an online global internship program.

Prior to his tenure at Rutgers University, Dr. Wang served as a Public Service Associate in the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Western Michigan University and an MA in Economics from Northwest University (China). His scholarly work includes a book entitled State-Society Relationship in China, published in 2016.

Many thanks to Gihan Fernando, Executive Director of the AU Career Center, for stepping into the VPGIS role on an interim basis and for his many contributions to the steering committee that guided the academic affairs realignment. 

I am extraordinarily grateful for the hard work and dedication of the VPGIS search committee, expertly led by chair Jessica Waters. We also deeply appreciate the support of AU’s HR team and the participation of many faculty and staff members throughout the search process.

Please join me in welcoming Jeff to American University!