Title: Georgetown Names New Vice President for Global Engagement
Thomas Banchoff, professor of government, will become Georgetown’s first vice president for global engagement July 1.
Government professor Thomas Banchoff has been named Georgetown’s first vice president for global engagement.
In his new position, Banchoff will work closely with faculty and other leaders to strengthen Georgetown’s existing global partnerships and initiatives, enhance the global dimension of teaching, research and outreach activities, and reduce barriers to collaboration across schools and departments.
Banchoff, who is also director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, will begin his new role on July 1. He will remain director of the center.
Global Strengths
“I look forward to working with faculty, administrators and students in this critical effort,” Banchoff says. “Building creatively on our strengths – our academic excellence, Washington, D.C., location, international networks and our Catholic and Jesuit identity – we will fulfill our promise as a leading global university for the 21st century.”
Georgetown President John J. DeGioia, who appointed Banchoff to the post, notes that the university’s engagement with global issues has increased dramatically through both institutional commitments and individual academic initiatives in the last few years.
“Tom has shown through his work a deep commitment to global concerns that will help us respond in the most comprehensive way possible to pressing contemporary issues,” DeGioia says. “Tom has the experience and talent to strengthen our stature as a global university in service to our students, the country and the wider world.”
Worldwide Ties
Students, faculty and university leaders at Georgetown, who represent more than 120 nationalities, conduct research on global issues, bring world leaders to campus and contribute to dialogue on current affairs. Numerous Georgetown study-abroad programs, international community-based learning opportunities and social justice outreach are available at the university, and Georgetown collaborates with more than 250 institutions in over 40 countries.
Banchoff, who received his Ph.D. in politics from Princeton in 1993, became the founding director of the Berkley Center in 2006. He joined the government department at Georgetown in 1993 and the university’s School of Foreign Service in 2000.
The professor is also the author or editor of six books, including Religious Pluralism, Globalization, and World Politics (Oxford University Press, 2008) and Religion and the Global Politics of Human Rights (Oxford University Press, 2011).
“The world is changing fast, posing new challenges for Georgetown and our peer institutions,” Banchoff says. “In this evolving landscape, we have an exciting opportunity to pursue our core academic mission in new ways.”