University Times

Ariel C. Armony has been appointed senior director of international programs and director of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS).

Armony earned a PhD from Pitt’s political science department in 1998 and a certificate in Latin American studies from the Pitt center that he now will direct. Armony, who has directed the University of Miami’s Center for Latin American Studies since 2010, will assume his role at Pitt on March 1, 2015. In addition to overseeing Pitt’s international programs, Armony will hold faculty appointments in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Political Science in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson said: “Dr. Armony’s vision is well matched to our international efforts at the University. He is committed to deepening both student and faculty interest in international studies across the University, and his vision for cross-regional scholarly research and activity will both strengthen and expand the University’s global dimension.”

UCIS houses the Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Russian and East European Studies, Global Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence and European Studies Center, Asian Studies Center and the African studies program, as well as the Study Abroad Office and the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs. UCIS also operates an office in Shanghai, China, focused on recruiting undergraduate students, developing internship experiences in China for Pitt students, and expanding the University’s alumni network and programming in China.

During his tenure as director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami, Armony has encouraged cross-disciplinary work between scholars in a wide range of fields and has been instrumental in bringing to campus important academic and political figures such as Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón. As the Weeks Professor in Latin American Studies and professor of international studies at the University of Miami, Armony is known for his research into democratization, civil society, human rights and the role of China in Latin America. He is the author of two books and has edited four. His book “The Dubious Link: Civic Engagement and Democratization” (Stanford, 2004) was a university press best seller.

Prior to holding his positions at the University of Miami, Armony was a professor and director of the Latin American studies program at Colby College, Fulbright Scholar at Nankai University in China, and residential fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

Armony will succeed Lawrence Feick, who will step down as director of UCIS on Feb. 28, 2015.