Eric P. Schwartz named dean of University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Eric P. Schwartz

University of Minnesota Provost Tom Sullivan today named Eric P. Schwartz, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration in the U.S. Department of State, as dean of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Both President Bob Bruininks and President-Designate Eric Kaler joined in the consultative process and support enthusiastically the selection of Eric Schwartz as dean. Pending approval by the Board of Regents, which is expected to act at its June meeting, Eric Schwartz will begin his service as dean on October 10, 2011.

Eric Schwartz has 25 years of senior public service experience at the Department of State, the National Security Council, the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, as well as in the foundation and NGO communities. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Snow Scholar, and a Master of Public and International Affairs from Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs). He earned a Bachelor of Arts (with honors) at Binghamton University (of the State University of New York).

“Our new dean," explained Tom Sullivan, provost of the University of Minnesota,”brings boundless energy, deep national and international experience, and a profound understanding of the needs of the Humphrey School as it continues its remarkable trajectory of progress and impact." The Provost added that “Eric Schwartz is a trusted leader with a keen sense of collegiality and an exhaustive commitment to public service and to the common good. I am confident he will be an outstanding dean in every way.”

Eric Schwartz served for many years as a Visiting Lecturer of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and was the School’s first Practitioner in Residence. While at Princeton, he taught graduate and undergraduate seminars and workshops dealing with the United Nations, democracy promotion, peace operations, international humanitarian assistance, and recovery and reconstruction after disasters. In addition, he was a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. His academic and research experience has complemented his leadership as a policy practitioner focusing on international humanitarian affairs, human rights, international organizations and peacekeeping.

Commenting on his new position, Eric Schwartz said, “I am honored to be appointed dean of the Humphrey School, and deeply grateful for the opportunity to help the School reach even greater levels of excellence. Highly effective public institutions will be critical to social and economic advancement in the years and decades to come, especially as governance continues to become increasingly complicated and more demanding. Strong and vibrant democracies require skilled, effective and accountable public servants and public citizens, with the tools to manage complex issues effectively. Hubert H. Humphrey’s career embodied these public service ideals, and I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the institution that serves as his living memorial.”

Eric Schwartz’s candidacy received strong and consistent support from faculty, students, staff, alumni and Minnesota’s public affairs and planning community. The Humphrey School is the third-oldest public affairs program in the country and has a critical role in helping the university achieve its goal of becoming one of the top three public research universities in the world. Eric Schwartz succeeds J. Brian Atwood as dean, who on January 1, 2011 became chair of the Development Assistance Committee, the permanent forum of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.