Martha Merritt appointed dean of International Education at the University of Richmond

Martha L. Merritt, a Russian scholar and leader in international education, has been named University of Richmond’s dean of International Education, effective Aug. 1.

Merritt is currently deputy dean of the College for Academic Programs and Advancement at the University of Chicago. For the past three years she was responsible for academic programs, the University of Chicago’s Center in Paris, exchanges with Cairo University, and conceiving proposals and securing funding in partnership with the Development Office. She also represented the college to admissions, career advancement, College Council and the Curriculum Committee. She has taught Russian civilization and modern Europe, as well as co-teaching a course for students returning from study abroad.

She worked with faculty to conceive and launch “Study Chicago,” an immersion quarter in the city of Chicago.

“Martha brings proven leadership and collaborative experience with a large spectrum of university constituents as well as overseas partners,” said Provost Jacquelyn Fetrow.  “She has the experience to collaborate with faculty, staff and students to develop a strategic plan that is viable and visionary, taking Richmond’s programs in these areas to the next level.”

“The University of Richmond seems to me to offer a combination of highly motivated faculty, strong international participation, and a desire to forge global awareness that is meaningful for all members of the community,” Merritt said. “This is something rare and wonderful, and I am honored to join the Spiders in conceiving a new kind of worldwide web.”

Previously she served as the associate dean for International Education at the University of Chicago. She was responsible for international engagement for undergraduates and for the University of Chicago’s Center in Paris. She negotiated the College’s exchanges and agreements with international and domestic partners and facilitated international internships. She also taught in Paris “The Uncommon European Home” and in Hyde Park “The Ugly American Comes Home”. She founded and chaired the Study Abroad Risk and Security Assessment Committee.

She also worked at Notre Dame’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Her responsibilities included the establishment and management of international programs, international internships and institutional partnerships. She developed international sites in Cape Town, Jerusalem and Mindanao.

Merritt also was a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Texas, Austin. She was a fellow of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Her research interests and courses included Russian foreign policy, comparative politics, research design, comparative theories of democracy, politics of travel writing, political accountability and peace studies.

Merritt is the president of the board of the Blazek Foundation and a member of the President’s Circle of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She has authored numerous papers and grants.

She earned her doctorate of philosophy in politics from Oxford University. She earned her master’s degree from Indiana University and her undergraduate degree with distinction from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

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