Announcing Leadership Transition at GU-Qatar

January 29, 2016

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community:

I am writing to share some important news about our campus in Doha, Qatar.  Gerd Nonneman, Ph.D., who has served as our dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar since 2011, will be stepping down at the conclusion of his term in June 2016. He will return to the faculty at GU-Q as Professor of International Relations & Gulf Studies. During his time as dean, he increased the number of students and faculty on our GU-Q campus, supported the research of our faculty, and enriched our engagement with Qatari society and culture.  We are deeply grateful for the service and leadership he has provided our community, and we look forward to honoring his tenure as dean later this year.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that James Reardon-Anderson, Ph.D., will serve as the dean of the School of Foreign Service and School of Foreign Service in Qatar.  He will begin his service in July 2016 and will serve through July 2018.  During this time, we will conduct an international search for a future dean.

Dr. Reardon-Anderson brings a wealth of experience to this role, having served as the founding dean of the Georgetown University in Qatar, from 2005 to 2009, and as interim dean of the Walsh School of Foreign Service prior to Dean Joel Hellman’s appointment in 2015.  

The Sun Yat-sen Professor of Chinese Studies, Dr. Reardon-Anderson has been a member of our faculty since 1985 and has served in a variety of senior administrative roles including Senior Associate Dean of the School of Foreign Service. He is the author of five books on the history and politics of China, including Reluctant Pioneers: China’s Expansion Northward, 1644-1937 (Stanford University Press, 2005), a study of Chinese frontier expansion and settlement. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Please join me in welcoming Jim into this new leadership role and in expressing our gratitude to Gerd for his years of distinguished service.

Sincerely,

John J. DeGioia