The Center for International Education and the UMass, Amherst community is delighted to extend a warm welcome Dr. Ian Barron as the new CIE Director. Dr. Barron joined the CIE family at the start of the semester, and he and his wife Jane have moved from Dundee, Scotland, and are settling into their new home and roles in Amherst. Dr. Barron takes over the reins at CIE from long-time Director, Dr. David Evans, who retired this year after 50 years of leading CIE.
In a message from Ian over the summer, he told CIE members, "At CIE, I hope to continue to build on the immense strengths and achievements of the past while adapting and transforming CIE for the 21st century. In order to address the global challenges of our time, I propose to reach out to faculty, students, and staff in the College and University and across campuses as well as to our alumni. Complex problems typically require complex solutions. I hope to establish interdisciplinary teams and networks to not only rapidly respond to mission driven funding calls, but also to broaden and deepen our research environment within CIE and the College.
"Students of all degrees are core to CIE’s rich research environment and global impact. The success of CIE is dependent on the axiom that faculty and students learn from each other, collaborate in pioneering research, and co-publish together.
"While, not an extensive list, I propose to best address the challenges of the 21st century, through CIE exploring transformational epistemologies and emancipatory, and liberationist methodologies; develop socially just pedagogies and praxis; and utilize technological innovations. I propose to listen to all the voices, work alongside indigenous populations, and bring rigor of methodology to research and our models of change while exploring best practices."
In addition to his role at CIE, Dr. Barron is also a Professor in Student Development in the College of Education, at UMass, Amherst. Professor Barron is the founding Director of both the International Center for Child Trauma Prevention and Recovery and the Trauma Response Network Limited. The latter was established to coordinate the trauma recovery response to terrorist attacks and other mass trauma events in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Dr. Barron is also an associate Director for the Center for Transformative Change: Education and Life Transitions (TCELT), at the University of Dundee.
Please view his profile for more information about Dr. Barron’s background and work in trauma recovery and international development.