Office of the Provost

Memorandum

October 24, 2013

Dear Colleagues:

Dr. Lawrence Feick has served since 2007 as senior director of international programs, director of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS), and as a valued colleague on the Council of Deans. So it is with regret and with deep appreciation for his commitment to strengthen the University and its international programs that I write to let you know of his decision to step down from these roles, effective August 1, 2014.

Dr. Feick earned his PhD in agricultural economics from Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and began his career at Pitt the next year when he was hired as an assistant professor of business administration. Since then, Dr. Feick has been an active and engaged faculty member in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, serving in a number of leadership roles, including interim dean, associate dean, and director of the International Business Center (IBC). As director of the IBC, he designed a variety of international programs, including working on the development of the School’s programs in Central Europe and the development of faculty-led study abroad programs. One such program, Plus3, a joint program with the Swanson School of Engineering, was the recipient of the 2005 Andrew Heiskell Award for innovation in international education. He has held visiting professor positions in Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ecuador and was a Fulbright scholar in Uruguay.

As senior director of international programs, Dr. Feick led the multi-year University-wide planning initiative that resulted in the development of a global vision and plan that have guided our efforts in this area for the past four years. Through his leadership, he has played an instrumental role in the University’s growing international presence through the strengthening of our study abroad programs, as well as our relationships with alumni, friends, and institutional partners abroad.

During his time at UCIS, Dr. Feick helped transform the University’s study abroad offerings through an expansion of programs developed by Pitt faculty for Pitt students, which now enroll more than 70% of Pitt students studying abroad compared with one-third before he began. During this time, there has also been an almost 20 percent increase in the total number of Pitt students participating in study abroad programs, and participation in UCIS’ international and area studies certificates has increased by nearly 40 percent. Similarly, during the last six years, the UCIS BPhil degree has grown rapidly – now almost one out of five students who earn the BPhil at Pitt do so in international and area studies.


Dr. Feick’s efforts to expand our alumni networks abroad included the development of several Pitt clubs overseas, and the development of innovative partnerships with several key international institutions, including the recent agreement that forms a joint institute with Sichuan University. Along with his other responsibilities, Larry has been serving as the interim director of the Asian Studies Center for the past two years, and in this role has been particularly effective at developing Pitt’s relationships with East Asia, including the establishment of the first University-wide support office abroad in China.

Dr. Feick has strengthened the support for faculty and students who travel abroad through the development and funding of a number of technology initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the University’s global initiatives. These initiatives include comprehensive support for our study abroad programs; a travel registration program for faculty, staff, and students; and a comprehensive system for documenting the University’s activities around the world.

He has also guided important efforts to internationalize Pitt’s educational programs through his leadership of UCIS. As director, he developed the proposal that led to Title VI funding for the University’s Global Studies Center and played a lead role in the development of curriculum innovations such as the Today course series in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University.

It has been a pleasure to work with Larry, both in his role as senior director and as a member of the Council of Deans and I am delighted that he will not only continue his academic career at the University, but has also agreed to remain involved in several of the initiatives that he has spearheaded, providing much-needed continuity during the transition. I know you will all join me in thanking him for his continued willingness to advance international education at Pitt, and for his commitment to the University for so many years. A search committee will be formed in the coming weeks with the intention of identifying a successor by next spring.

Sincerely,

Patricia E. Beeson

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