Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Lisa Staiano-Coico has announced the creation of the Office of International Affairs, a new administrative unit that will develop a strategic vision for Temple's global engagement and oversee the university's extensive and fast-growing international programs and activities.

The Office of International Affairs brings together the Office of International Programs, which oversees study-abroad and exchange programs as well as Temple's international campuses, and the Office of International Services, which provides services for international students, under the leadership of Interim Vice President of International Affairs Adelaide Ferguson, who will assume the title of interim vice president on July 1, 2008.

Working with the deans, faculty, administrators, international partners, alumni and other stakeholders in the city and region, Ferguson’s first priority will be to develop a broad-based strategic plan to guide the future of Temple’s global initiatives.

The Office of International Affairs' portfolio also includes a wide variety of other responsibilities, including facilitating international partnerships for the university, maintaining an inventory of Temple's activities around the globe and fostering global alumni relations. The office will oversee all international activities at the university with the exception of international admissions.

"When it comes to President Hart's mission of advancing the university's internationalization and expanding our global reach, we have a strong base on which to build as well as many opportunities for new initiatives," Ferguson said. "This is Temple's moment. We have the faculty and staff expertise, we have the global infrastructure and we have the institutional commitment at all levels."

Before moving to International Affairs, Ferguson had served as the assistant vice president of international programs under Robert J. Reinstein (who will step down as vice president at the end of this academic year) since 1998 and as the assistant dean for graduate and international programs at Temple's Beasley School of Law since 1990.

"Adelaide brings 17 years of program development and management experience in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States to her new position," Staiano-Coico said. "We are looking forward to developing an even stronger global presence under her leadership."

During Ferguson's tenure, the percentage of Temple Law students studying abroad increased from 5 percent to 25 percent of the student body; three new international master’s degree programs for U.S., Japanese and Chinese legal professions were founded; and Temple Law faculty and student-exchange programs were established in Ireland, Israel, Hungary and the Netherlands — all of which contributed to increased national recognition for Temple Law's international programs, which were ranked No. 16 nationally in the 2009 edition of U.S.News & World Report's annual guidebook America's Best Graduate Schools.

Ferguson spearheaded the development of Temple's pioneering Rule of Law programs in China, which includes the first law degree program ever approved by the both the Chinese Ministry of Education and the American Bar Association. The programs are funded by $23 million in U.S. federal and private grants.

Ferguson holds a bachelor's degree from Temple, a juris doctor from the Rutgers School of Law–Camden, and a master's degree in international human rights law from Oxford University.