Russell Ganim, director of the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), has been named the new associate provost and dean of International Programs. He will begin on Jan. 1.

Ganim succeeds Downing Thomas who is stepping down on Dec. 31 to return to a faculty position in CLAS after serving as associate provost and dean of International Programs for 10 years.

“I am grateful to Downing for the leadership and vision he has provided for the internationalization of our campus in the areas of student success, creation and discovery, and engagement,” says Montse Fuentes, executive vice president and provost. “He has been a tireless advocate for the university and has raised UI’s visibility with global partners.  And he has been a wonderful colleague.”

Ganim has been a professor of French and director of the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the UI since 2011. He has served as chair of the Department of German since 2013 and chair of the Department of French and Italian since 2016. He also serves as the administrative head of the American Sign Language Program and was chair of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures from 2011 to 2016.

Ganim has been a member of Faculty Senate since 2016, serving as vice president in 2017–18 and president in 2018–19. He is chair of the Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee to review the Office of the Vice President for Medical Affairs (fall 2019), sits on the Path Forward Working Group for Research, and has served on numerous other boards and committees since 2014.

“I am excited to welcome Russ as the next leader of International Programs,” says Fuentes. “He has an extraordinary record of service to the university, and I am delighted that he will bring his commitment to our academic mission and his passion for international education and collaboration to this very important role.”

Ganim was one of three internal finalists who participated in open forums earlier this month and interviewed for the deanship. The search was led by a committee co-chaired by Edith Parker, dean of the College of Public Health, and Amanda Thein, senior associate dean in the College of Education.

Ganim holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Grinnell College and a master’s degree and PhD in French language and literature from the University of Virginia. Before coming to the UI, Ganim served as associate professor of French, professor of French, and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Since 2011, Ganim has worked to promote international collaborations between the UI and academic institutions in China, Japan, Korea, Russia, France, Spain, and Germany. 

“I have devoted a major portion of my career to international education. The University of Iowa has a very strong commitment to global education and global affairs, and now is the opportune moment to take us to the next level of excellence,” Ganim says. “I look forward to engaging with the colleges, the deans, the faculty, and the students to see how we can make Study Abroad and international education a more integrated part of the curriculum across campus.”

Ganim will receive an annual salary of $236,000. His appointment must be approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.