Pitt graduate school gets a brand-new dean July 1

Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs has named distinguished… Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs has named distinguished international studies scholar John T.S. Keeler as its new dean starting July 1.

Keeler is currently finishing a two-year term as the chair of the European Union Studies Association, an international association of EU scholars. He will step down shortly before taking up his post at GSPIA. He has also been a faculty member and chair of the division of French and Italian Studies at the University of Washington since 1980.

While Keeler has never been a Pittsburgh resident, Pitt’s campus won’t be entirely unfamiliar to him.

“I have been to Pittsburgh a number of times on business with EUSA [European Union Studies Association] because the administration office is at Pitt,” Keeler recalled. “Years ago, a deal was made to have the administration at Pitt under the auspices of UCIS, as the University of Pittsburgh is one of the leading centers of studies on the EU in the United States.”

The appointment of Keeler received many accolades from top administrators at Pitt.

“I have great confidence that Dr. Keeler will provide the academic and administrative leadership and judgment needed to make our GSPIA programs as strong as they can possibly become,” Provost James V. Maher said in announcing the appointment.

It is too early to say what changes might come when Keeler takes office.

“Deans don’t come in barking orders in the first month they’re there,” Keeler said. “My plan is to get to know people and how the place functions. In around six months, we’ll be working for a new strategic mission statement for the program.”

Keeler looks forward to taking up his new post, both for what GSPIA offers and what Pittsburgh’s eastern location offers.

“GSPIA is one of the leading institutions in the country for PhD and master’s degrees in International Studies, I think it’s ranked 15th in the nation, behind Harvard and ahead of UC-Berkeley. So it’s not bad,” Keeler said. “I also spent half of my life on the east coast, and my wife grew up in North Virginia, so it will be good to be close to these areas.”

Keeler is also an avid baseball fan, so the historic site of old Forbes Field is another plus for him.

“One of the things that will make this position fun is that my office will be right above where Forbes Field used to be.”

Keeler’s expertise in EU studies encompasses a wide range of issues, but his most recent concentration has been in EU security issues concerning relations with NATO and common agricultural law. He received his PhD and master’s degrees in political science at Harvard University respectively in 1978 and 1975, and earned a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Southern California in 1972.