Dear colleagues,

On behalf of Global Affairs, I would like to congratulate and bid farewell to Associate Vice Provost of Global Education and Services Fadi Fathallah, who has been named Chair of the UC Davis Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, effective July 1, 2021.

Fadi is a distinguished teacher, researcher, and administrator. Since he started as an associate vice provost in Global Affairs in July 2016, he has collaborated across campus and the world to lead our Global Education and Services pillar, which includes our Global Learning Hub, Global Professional Programs, Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS), and UC Davis Arab Region Consortium (UCDAR).

He has been instrumental in the development of our Global Learning Hub, which launched in 2019 to expand a myriad of global and international experiences for our students as a part of our goal of Global Education for All. He has provided leadership in expanding our participation in prestigious international fellowship programs in overseeing Global Professional Programs, including successfully securing participation and grant renewals for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, Mandela Washington Fellowship, and Fulbright Afghanistan Leadership Seminars. During a very complex immigration environment over the last several years, Fadi’s leadership has supported SISS’ expanded ability to meet the needs of a growing number of international students and scholars and provide them with a sense of community at UC Davis. Given Fadi’s connections to the Middle East, his oversight of UCDAR and coordination with its founding director, Distinguished Professor Emerita Suad Joseph, have been invaluable in deepening relationships and research projects with five universities across Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to being an advocate for our international students, scholars, fellows, and our entire UC Davis global community, Fadi has also been an ambassador for Global Affairs on campus including by serving on the campus Strategic Plan Steering Committee and co-chairing the campus Global Strategic Plan Planning Committee—as well as off campus, as he served as Campus Faculty Director for UCEAP and represented us on several external boards such as Academic Without Borders-USA and the American Institute for American Universities, Aix en Provence, France.

A successful scholar, Fadi’s research and outreach programs on agricultural health and safety have been recognized widely, including most recently by a recent professional award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. While we will miss Fadi in Global Affairs, we are glad to know we will continue to work together as he leads the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, where he will work closely with the Deans of the Colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and their teams.

I would also like to thank Global Affairs Chief of Staff Keisha Liggett-Nichols who will oversee our SISS team, Associate Vice Provost Michael Lazzara who will oversee our Global Professional Programs and UCDAR Consortium, and Associate Vice Provost Nancy Erbstein who will oversee our Global Learning Hub, effective July 1.

Please join me in wishing all the best for Fadi and thanking him immensely for his tremendous contributions to inspiring global curiosity, understanding, and engagement at UC Davis and beyond.

Sincerely,

Joanna Regulska

Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs
Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies
University of California, Davis