PITT NAMES INTERIM HEAD FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES CENTER

PITTSBURGH, June 20 -- George E. Klinzing, vice provost for research and professor of chemical engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named interim director of Pitt's University Center for International Studies (UCIS), effective July 1.

Klinzing chaired the search for the next director of UCIS, Wiliam I. Brustein, who will assume the position on January 1, 2001. Brustein currently is the Distinguished McKnight University Professor and a Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota.

Brustein will replace Burkart Holzner, who served as director of UCIS since 1980, and who will remain at Pitt as a professor of sociology.

"During the search for Dr. Holzner's replacement, Dr. Klinzing had a unique opportunity to gain new insights into the complex issues that impact our University Center for International Studies and the very important role UCIS plays in defining the international dimension within the institution," said Provost James V. Maher. "I personally appreciate his willingness to step forward to help UCIS define its future and to help the University reach its aspiration of having an even stronger center."

Klinzing earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his master's and doctorate in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He joined the Pitt faculty in 1966, and served as associate dean for research in the School of Engineering from 1987 to 1995.

He worked in Ecuador for three years developing an engineering laboratory and curriculum in conjunction with the Central University of Ecuador. Demands for his professional presentations have led Klinzing to Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Founded in 1968, UCIS cultivates, supports, and coordinates international activities campus-wide at the University of Pittsburgh. UCIS has worked to establish Pitt's leadership role in the advancement of global dimensions in the arts, sciences, and professions. The Center's work encompasses education, research, and public service, and draws on vast and historic international resources, concerns, and ties.

UCIS harbors four internationally recognized area studies centers, each designated as a National Resource Center by the US Department of Education. The area centers include the Asian Studies Program, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and the Center for West European Studies, which also has been designated as one of only 10 European Union Centers in the United States. In addition to these nationally recognized centers, Pitt also is the home of the International Business Center (IBC), a joint venture of the Katz School of Business and UCIS, also federally funded and recognized as a Center of Excellence.

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