Dean's Welcome

Greetings from the beautiful Farzaneh Hall on the Norman Campus of the University of Oklahoma! I could not be more excited to serve the students, faculty, and staff of the David L. Boren College of International Studies as its new Dean (interim). Our college is unique among OU’s many colleges and departments as we are the home of 9 majors, 11 minors, 2 graduate programs, and an accelerated BA/MA globally focused degrees. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to preparing the next generation of global leaders and change makers for careers with purpose in diplomacy, government and intelligence agencies, think tanks, humanitarian and development nonprofits and NGOs, local, national, and international politics, journalism, business, security, academia and more! I am so proud to serve such a diverse and talented group of individuals, including our world class research and teaching faculty, dedicated staff, and most of all, you, our students and your families and the ever-increasing number of CIS alumni around the world!  Together, the CIS family shares a common commitment to our core mission: to produce a rigorous, exciting, and nurturing environment for you to grow into future leaders and change makers, and to support our world-class faculty to produce impactful research that shapes our current understanding of real-time international and domestic issues through analyzing current trends, producing cutting edge theory and methods, and delving deep into the history, languages, and cultures driving unprecedented global changes and challenges. 

In today's complex and ever-evolving world, our mission has taken on even greater urgency and significance. We are confronted with unprecedented global challenges that not only demand our immediate attention, but an informed, resilient community of engagement. The challenges presented by great power conflict and competition, democratic backsliding, disruptive technologies, economic inequity, new emerging security threats, public health crisis, climate change, and human rights each demand an equally powerful set of creative, generative ideas and solutions. 

Yet CIS was created over a decade ago to meet these challenges head-on by recruiting and supporting a top-tier research university faculty who deliver a small liberal arts like college experience with intimate class settings, hands-on research opportunities, experiential learning beyond the confines of traditional classrooms (with internships, national and international travel opportunities) all of which equip, you, our students with the essential skills and knowledge required for effective action and leadership across each of the international challenges facing our state and nation today. If you have yet to visit our building,  meet face-to-face with our friendly staff, or have not yet taken one of our classes, I invite you to do so, and if you do, I look forward to showing you around myself!