J. Nicholas Entrikin, vice provost of international studies at UCLA, has been appointed to the newly established position of vice president and associate provost for internationalization at the University of Notre Dame by Provost Thomas G. Burish.
“Enhancing and expanding the international components of Notre Dame – in all their many dimensions – is a top priority, and the creation of this position and the appointment of Nick Entrikin reflect the importance of this goal. Nick is a scholar of the first rank, a creative problem solver, a builder, an experienced leader in the international arena, and a person who receives high marks from his colleagues for being able to bring together faculty from across many disciplines to work together for common goals. We are very happy to have him join us and direct our efforts to extend Notre Dame’s global impact.”
In his new role, Entrikin will lead the effort to broaden Notre Dame’s international culture, programs, reach and reputation through expanded international research, collaborative projects and strategic relationships with global partners.
“I am very pleased and honored to have been chosen to lead the internationalization efforts at Notre Dame,” said Entrikin, who also has been appointed a professor of sociology. “During my campus visits, I have had the pleasure of meeting members of the campus leadership and have been impressed by their collegiality, pride in the University’s deservedly excellent reputation, and confident vision of Notre Dame’s future. These are difficult times for many universities, but at Notre Dame I found only optimism and enthusiasm about exploring new opportunities and expanding on existing strengths. Notre Dame is a special place, and my wife, Diane, and I look forward to becoming part of the campus community.”
At UCLA, Entrikin reorganized its International Institute by shifting it from the College of Letters and Science to become a university-wide organization and play an expanded role as the foreign affairs office for the university. He developed a comprehensive internationalization strategy that involved coordination and innovation along four lines: collaborative research opportunities; student exchange opportunities; corporate, foundation and government partnerships; and private donor and alumni development.
Entrikin has taught and conducted research in the Department of Geography at UCLA since 1975 in the general area of human geography with a focus on environmentalism and the cultural significance of place and landscape in modern societies. Since 2003 he also has been a professor in the university’s Institute of the Environment.
In 1993, he co-founded – and has since co-directed – the UCLA History-Geography Project, an initiative that brings UCLA social science faculty together with community college and K-12 teachers in Los Angeles for seminars and workshops related to the curricular innovation for social studies instruction in California schools.
Entrikin is the author or editor of four books and the recipient of several fellowships and awards. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, visiting director of research with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Pau, France, and a faculty fellow at the Yale Center for Cultural Sociology. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in geography from the University of Wisconsin and his bachelor’s degree in geography from Syracuse University.