John Ciorciari, professor of public policy at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, has been named dean of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, effective March 1, 2024.
“John comes to IU with a distinguished career of pursuing positive change through cutting-edge research and training in global affairs,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “He is well-positioned to ensure student academic success, recruit and retain accomplished faculty, and strengthen the school’s influence in the landscape of international affairs and language and area studies.”
Ciorciari succeeds Nick Cullather, who has served as interim dean since February 2022, when the school’s founding dean, Lee Feinstein, accepted a new position.
“As the Hamilton Lugar School enters its second decade, it has incredible potential to set and reach ambitious goals,” IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav said. “Given John’s impressive background and exceptionally collaborative approach, I am confident he will adeptly lead the school in strengthening the student experience and pursuing globally influential research.”
Ciorciari previously served as the Ford School’s associate dean for research and policy engagement. During this time, he oversaw a record number of strategic faculty hires and contributed to fundraising strategies and outreach that led to a series of major gifts. He also led a new series of community dialogues, organized a new office to support policy engagement and engaged learning, and was part of a leadership team that saw unprecedented levels of reported staff satisfaction.
From 2014 to 2023, Ciorciari directed the Ford School’s International Policy Center, an interdisciplinary research hub focused on three major themes: international security, development and human rights. In this capacity, he designed and implemented award-winning student opportunities for summer internships, remote externships, short-term work-study projects, simulations and extended research projects.
In 2018, his vision and proposal attracted funding for the establishment of the Weiser Diplomacy Center. Under his direction, the center brought many high-profile diplomats and foreign policy experts to campus to teach, lead workshops and policy simulations, and participate in large public events. He also developed a fellowship program to attract top students and organized forums in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., to engage faculty and students in direct dialogue with policymakers.
Alongside his roles at the Ford School, Ciorciari has been an active faculty affiliate at several area studies centers within the University of Michigan’s International Institute. He led a range of research projects and events on topics germane to area studies on Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Eurasia, Latin America, and Africa.
Before his time at Michigan, Ciorciari practiced law at Davis Polk & Wardwell, served in several positions for the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of International Affairs and was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University. The author of three books — most recently, “Sovereignty Sharing in Fragile States” — and the editor of four volumes, Ciorciari has published extensively on international relations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region; international law and institutions; international criminal justice; and rule-of-law initiatives in fragile states.
“I am thrilled to join the Hamilton Lugar School,” Ciorciari said. “I believe in its mission to develop knowledge in area studies and international affairs to help address our most pressing global challenges.
“HLS is a recognized leader in curricular innovation on global affairs, regional studies and language instruction. It also has a rich suite of engaged learning opportunities and connections to the world of practice, giving the school high policy visibility and impact. I am very excited to support the research, teaching and service of HLS’ students, faculty and staff.”
The U.S. Treasury Department selected Ciorciari for the Secretary’s Honor Award in 2005 and the Meritorious Service Award in 2007. He has served as a member of the executive board of the University of Michigan Press, an editorial board member for Asia Policy and a senior legal advisor for the Documentation Center of Cambodia.
After obtaining his A.B. in biochemistry and J.D. from Harvard, Ciorciari earned his M.Phil. and D.Phil. in international relations from the University of Oxford, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
The Hamilton Lugar School is the fifth largest international affairs school in the country by total enrollment, provides language instruction in more than 70 languages and is a leading innovator in rigorous, multidisciplinary, policy-relevant academic study.
The school is composed of four core academic departments: Central Eurasian Studies, East Asian Languages and Cultures, International Studies, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. It hosts more than 20 nationally recognized centers and programs and offers more than 20 undergraduate majors, minors and certificates, as well as 45 graduate degrees. The school oversees nine Title VI National Resource Centers and annually hosts the prestigious, nonpartisan America’s Role in the World Conference
