University Times

After a lengthy search, Pitt has named John T.S. Keeler dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, effective July 1.

Keeler, a scholar of European politics and transatlantic relations and comparative public policy, is a professor of political science and chair of the Division of French and Italian Studies at the University of Washington. He also is director of the Center for West European Studies and European Union Center at the Seattle-based school and chairs the European Union Studies Association, a scholarly and professional organization whose administrative office is housed in Pitt’s University Center for International Studies.

Keeler will step into the position vacated by former Dean Carolyn Ban, who resigned in August 2006. Ban, who is on a year-long sabbatical, plans to return to teaching at GSPIA this fall. Former associate dean David Y. Miller has been serving a one-year appointment as interim dean since July 1, 2006.

Ban made the University aware in 2005 of her plans to step down in 2006. An initial search for her successor failed to yield a successful candidate. A second search, started in summer 2006, narrowed the field to eight candidates who visited the University and five who were recommended to the provost, said Andrew Blair, vice provost for faculty affairs and chair of the search committee.

Keeler is a 1972 political science graduate of the University of Southern California and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in political science at Harvard. He has been a faculty member at the University of Washington since 1980.

Despite the distance, Pitt’s strengths in the fields of European studies and politics have given Keeler an opportunity to become familiar with the city and University over the years through professional conferences and contacts. He noted that Alberta Sbragia, who directs Pitt’s Center for West European Studies and European Union Center of Excellence — the same positions he holds at Washington — has been a longtime colleague and friend.

In addition, as chair of the European Union Studies Association, he has connected with the city and the University because its administrator, Joe Figliulo, is based at Pitt.

A 27-year faculty member at Washington and father of a high school sophomore and a third-grader, Keeler said he never envisioned leaving Seattle. “It didn’t seem very compelling to look for another place,” he said, noting among the draws is that his home sits within view of Mt. Rainier.

Keeler admitted there could be an element of kismet in the appointment. “Ever since I was very little, I’ve always been a big baseball fan,” he said, pointing out that perhaps he was destined to work at a school situated on what once was a baseball field.

The prospect of being based at Posvar Hall is “mystically fun,” he said, noting he’s already visited the Forbes Field outfield wall and other spots commemorating the baseball history that lies beneath GSPIA’s home on campus.

On a more serious note, Keeler commended Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and Provost James Maher for their work in convincing him Pittsburgh was the place to be.

“They are an astoundingly effective team who couldn’t have done a better job of recruiting me,” he said, adding that after 15 years as an administrator in Washington, “I was looking for a challenge at the next level.

“They convey an infectious enthusiasm and optimism about their institution,” he said. “Everyone at Pitt did a wonderful job of making it seem like an attractive place.”

GSPIA’s reputation didn’t hurt either, he said, citing a recent Foreign Policy magazine ranking that placed Pitt at No. 15 among the nation’s top 20 international relations master’s degree programs.

“The place I will be running is already an excellent institution with the prospect of being even better with the support the provost and chancellor have promised,” he said.

Keeler said he grew up in a home where politics and international affairs were a part of the regular conversation. His father was a Navy officer and his grandfather was a Naval Academy graduate.

As a child, Keeler moved a lot, although he spent about half his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area. He said that when his father was in Japan or the Philippines or on an aircraft carrier it made him think about world affairs and why his dad was off in those places. Life in Washington, where his father had staff jobs at the Pentagon, also gave him a feel for how public policy is developed.

Keeler considered attending law school, but found his study at Cambridge following his sophomore year to be a pivotal experience that shifted his plan to academia with a focus on Europe. A graduate school mentor at Harvard who was an expert in French politics also had a profound influence in directing his path, Keeler said.

Keeler said he plans to settle his family in Pittsburgh early this summer. When he takes the GSPIA helm in July, he expects to find the new position — which entails leadership both in international and public affairs — less of a stretch than when he, a public policy expert, moved to a humanities unit to become chair of Washington’s French and Italian studies division.

He plans no immediate changes. “A dean’s job isn’t to arrive barking orders,” he said. Instead, he intends to get to know the faculty, students and institutional culture better, “then decide, working together with them, what makes sense” in terms of change.

Noting that among his areas of scholarship is the politics of reform, he said he has a keen awareness of the obstacles to change as well as strategies to implement change. “I’m well aware of how difficult it is to change institutions,” he said.

Among his roles will be raising money for the school, and perhaps finding someone to endow the school, Keeler said.

Keeler said his experience in administration will serve him well in his new position. “There’s no better training for an administrator than to run a Title VI center,” he said, citing the extraordinarily competitive nature of the federal grants that fund such centers as the EU Center and the Center for West European Studies, among others. To ensure re-funding, it’s necessary to show results and propose new initiatives, to look for opportunities to develop best practices and to collaborate with other institutions. “It trains you to constantly think about how you might improve,” he said.

Stressing that GSPIA already is doing well in its mission, “The challenge is to see if we can take it up a notch,” he said.

Commenting on the competitive nature of graduate schools today, Keeler said more students enter college with a vision of continuing on to graduate school. “They’re more savvy early on,” he said, making it necessary for schools not only to operate using best practices but also to be student-oriented.

“It’s a very competitive business,” he said. Addressing Penn State’s recent announcement that it plans to enroll students in a new School of International Affairs in fall 2008, he said that much of the current buzz is merely rumor. “It’s not evident what a challenge to GSPIA it’s going to be,” he said, adding that a positive strategy may be to look at ways the programs can cooperate rather than compete.

Blair, who headed the search committee, said Keeler stood out among a field of very strong candidates, noting that he interviewed very well, impressing both the committee and the faculty. “He’ll get on well with faculty, with fellow deans and with the administrators. As liaison to the school, I look forward to working with him,” Blair said.

In addition to his record of scholarship, among Keeler’s qualifications that are particularly well suited for the GSPIA position are his distinguished administrative career, including his directorship of two of Washington’s Title VI centers as well as his managerial talent as evidenced in chairing a department at Washington that is not squarely within his area of expertise.

“He’s done very well,” Blair said, adding, “He has definitely shown administrative capabilities coming into a deanship where that’s going to be important.”

Blair also noted Keeler’s ability to relate across departments and disciplines — a necessary trait for the leader of such an interdisciplinary school as GSPIA, Blair said.

Maher also praised Keeler’s abilities. “I have great confidence that Dr. Keeler will provide the academic and administrative leadership and judgment needed to make our GSPIA programs as strong as they can possibly become,” he stated in a prepared release.

“He shares our vision of strengthening our research and scholarship base and preparing students to succeed in and contribute to a global, multicultural environment. He is known for his strengths in leadership, marked by openness to discussion and a systematic approach to identifying solutions; program development, and fundraising. He also possesses the energy and integrity needed to develop the school’s priorities.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow