Tripp named associate dean of international studies

Aili Mari Tripp, associate professor of political science and women’s studies and director of the Women’s Studies Research Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been named associate dean in the Office of International Studies and Programs for the Division of International Studies.

Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies, announced Tripp’s appointment, which is effective Aug. 18, following an extensive review of candidates by a search and screen committee. Tripp succeeds Michael Hinden, professor of English, who is returning to full-time teaching after more than a decade as associate dean.

“Aili Tripp is an award-winning scholar and teacher, and an effective administrator,” Bousquet says. “I am delighted with her selection and know she will make an important difference in extending the reach of international studies across campus, as well as with our friends and partners around the world.”

The associate dean serves as the chief faculty adviser and assistant to the dean on a range of international education matters. In addition, the position manages initiatives that advance UW–Madison’s strategic plan priority to “accelerate internationalization” on campus, including meeting student needs in international education, deepening campus alliances to promote collaborative international initiatives, and increasing external partnerships with diverse constituencies around the U.S. and the world. The Office of International Studies and Programs (OISP) is the campus-level office that coordinates international activity at UW–Madison, promotes international education in all schools and colleges, and fosters cross-college cooperation. OISP also helps manage UW–Madison’s International Institute, a collaborative, cross-college venture with the College of Letters and Science.

Tripp, who received her Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University, and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Chicago, has been a member of the UW–Madison faculty since 1992. In 2000, she organized the International Institute’s Women and Citizenship Research Circle under the auspices of the Women’s Studies Research Center, and has been a member of several committees of the institute, including its Strategic Planning Committee and Academic Planning Council.

She has been awarded research grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, among others. She is the author of several books and numerous articles, including Changing the Rules: The Politics of Liberalization and the Urban Informal Economy in Tanzania (1997) and Women & Politics in Uganda (2000), which won the 2001 Victoria Schuck Award of the American Political Science Association for the best book published on women and politics. She is the co-editor of the University of Wisconsin Press series, Women in Africa and the Diaspora, and is a member of the editorial board of several publications. She also is a member of the executive board of the African Studies Association.

Tripp will serve as the faculty leader for research and graduate training for International Studies and the International Institute. She will also supervise the overall management of the institute’s research circles, and the design of innovative mechanisms to promote graduate training and research on interdisciplinary international issues.

The associate dean position is a half-time faculty administrative post with an initial appointment period of three years. Tripp will continue to serve in the Department of Political Science and the Women’s Studies Program.