CAMPUS NOTICE

 

OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR

April 17, 2020


ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF AT UC SAN DIEGO

Subject:    Dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy

UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy Dean Peter F. Cowhey
has announced that he will conclude his tenure as dean in June 2021 and
become a professor emeritus. He was appointed dean of GPS (formerly The
Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) in 2002.

Under Dean Cowhey's leadership, the School of Global Policy and Strategy
(GPS) expanded its influence to become one of the top professional
schools of international relations and public policy in the world. GPS
built upon its expertise in the Pacific and created a much broader
global imprint - a shift that spurred its renaming in 2015.

Dean Cowhey has long been committed to advancing interdisciplinary
research, and utilizing cross-campus collaborations to address global
challenges. GPS has grown its number of faculty members significantly
over the last two decades, with more joint appointments across campus
than any other UC San Diego unit. In addition, the depth and range of
policy-relevant research topics tackled at the school has grown
exponentially; notably, many of the recent joint appointments at GPS
have established signature strengths related to science policy. He
played key roles in establishing several groundbreaking research
centers, including the 21st Century China Center, the Policy Design and
Evaluation Lab, and the Center on Global Transformation, as well as
revitalizing the Center for US-Mexican Studies.

The school's student population has also experienced significant growth
and diversification during Dean Cowhey's tenure. The school developed
several new degree programs, including the most recent Master of Public
Policy and Master of Chinese Economic and Political Affairs, as well as
expanded concurrent 5-year programs offering UC San Diego undergraduates
opportunities to earn a master's degree with only one additional year of
post-baccalaureate study.

As Dean, Dr. Cowhey has provided thoughtful leadership in creating a
strong culture of philanthropy at GPS. He restructured and revitalized
the International Advisory Board, now replete with internationally known
business, policy and government leaders. He expanded networks, engaged
new individuals globally and built a foundation of support for new
initiatives and centers. GPS has raised over $42 million to date as part
of the Campaign for UC San Diego, and this year alone has received three
gifts over $1 million, including gifts to establish two endowed chairs.

A professor of political science and holder of the Qualcomm Endowed
Chair in Communications and Technology Policy, Dean Cowhey's experience
also includes work for two White House administrations and multiple UC
San Diego senior leadership positions. He served in several government
capacities including co-chairing then President-Elect Barack Obama's
transition team for trade policy in 2008-09, and as a senior counselor
to the U.S. Trade Representative the following year. In the Clinton
Administration, he served as the chief of the International Bureau of
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and negotiated many of the
U.S. international agreements for telecommunications services that
transformed the communications infrastructure enabling the worldwide
web.

Dean Cowhey is currently the chair of the board of directors for both
the California Council on Science and Technology and the Grameen
Foundation USA, the U.S. foundation supporting the work of Nobel Peace
Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. He is also a member of the Global
Competitive Council and the Council on Foreign Relations.

We are grateful for the service that Dean Cowhey has undertaken on
behalf of the entire campus community. In 2016-17, he served as Interim
Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, and before that was the
Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs from 2007-10. He was
director of the UC-wide Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
from 1999-2006 and chaired the committee to establish the Rady School of
Management in 2003. Dean Cowhey has also been a passionate advocate for
educational innovation at the university, leading campus-wide efforts in
this area from 2017-19.

We thank Dean Cowhey for his extraordinary service to GPS and the UC San
Diego campus, and for his wise counsel over the years on many strategic
issues in higher education. We look forward to continuing to work with
him closely during this transition. An international search for his
successor will be launched shortly.



Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor