Professor Michael Stohl has been appointed as the new Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies.
Trained as a political scientist, Professor Stohl has been a member of the UCSB Department of Communication since 2002. A faculty affiliate of the Global and International Studies Program and the Department of Political Science, Professor Stohl has a long and distinguished career focused on global and international studies. His scholarly research on terrorism, failed states, and human rights is highly acclaimed and well cited. In 2008 (with Cynthia Stohl) he was awarded the International Communication Association’s Outstanding Article Award for “Networks of Terror: Theoretical Assumptions and Pragmatic Consequences” published in Communication Theory. He is also a seasoned administrator, having served as Dean of International Programs at Purdue University (1992-2001), Chair of the UCSB Department of Communication (2004-2010) and currently as Chair of the Council on Planning and Budget. We welcome his leadership and vision.
Inaugurated in the 2005-06 academic year, the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies was established to provide an intellectual and programmatic focus for the University’s activities in global, international, and area studies. The Center grew out of the deep scholarly interests of UCSB faculty, especially founding director Professor Mark Juergensmeyer, to whom we remain grateful for his sustained efforts in promoting the Center and its work both within UC Santa Barbara and on an international scale.
