Executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme; member of the Committee on World Food Security’s steering committee; 2003 World Food Prize Laureate.

These are just three of the many roles Catherine Bertini will draw from in her new job as chair of the university’s graduate international relations program. 

‘She has extensive experience in international affairs and is a very good representative for the program,’ said Michael Wasylenko, interim dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. ‘She also has extensive management experience, and it’s pretty rare that you find those two things together.’

Bertini will start her job as chair of Maxwell’s international relations program Friday. She succeeds Donald Planty, who was chair of the program since 2008 and has resigned from the university. His resignation is officially effective Thursday, but his last day in the office was Sept. 22, Bertini said. 

The department chair is charged with managing the international relations program, including making sure the proper curriculum is in place, helping students with career opportunities and managing the faculty, Bertini said. The graduate international relations program has around 100 students.

Bertini began teaching at Syracuse University in 2005. Before coming to SU, she worked for 10 years with the World Food Programme and won the World Food Prize. Her other humanitarian work includes Senior Fellow in Agricultural Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and chair of the Girls in Rural Economies project for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, among many other initiatives and projects. In addition to her humanitarian work, she served as undersecretary-general for management of the United Nations.

Her experience and understanding of different cultures, governments, and national and international priorities will help her succeed as department chair, she said.

This semester, she will experience an increased workload, as she teaches two classes in addition to her role as chair. Next semester, she will not teach any classes, but will focus on her chair duties instead. Department chairs typically teach two courses per academic year instead of the normal four, she said.

Wasylenko confirmed Bertini will chair the department for at least the remainder of the academic year. Maxwell is in the process of restructuring its professional programs, he said, which may change the structure of the department. 

The graduate international relations program has a handful of faculty fully assigned to it and depends on faculty from other departments to teach certain courses, Bertini said. The restructuring could help with this in part. 

The program has also seen increased popularity in recent years, and she said it is important for the department to thrive in the most effective way possible.

Of the program, Bertini said: ‘It’s already in the top 10, but we have to make sure for the future we can meet the demand.’

kronayne@syr.edu

Published on September 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm