Nagy joins Clemson as vice provost for international affairs

Published: August 6, 2012

Sharon Nagy image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — Sharon Nagy, associate professor of anthropology and director of study-abroad programs at DePaul University, has joined Clemson University as vice provost for international affairs.  She will provide campus-wide leadership for all international programs and services and develop new strategies and opportunities to internationalize the curriculum.

Clemson Provost Doris Helms said, “Sharon has strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills and has extensive experience in working collaboratively with colleagues from a wide range of programs and backgrounds. We know she will be an innovative leader in serving international students and faculty and developing international programs, program sites and exchange programs for students and faculty.”

Some of her responsibilities will be to:

• expand and promote international opportunities for students, faculty and staff;
• oversee international services, including study abroad, immigration services, foreign student/visitor support and SEVIS;
• develop international sites for online and on-site delivery of Clemson’s academic programs;
• assist departments with developing strategies to enhance cross-cultural awareness
• and global understandings within curricula; and 
• collaborate with the Office of Student Affairs to support international student organizations and international student activities.

“This is a dream job — at a university with a broad range of existing international initiatives and a clear desire to increase students’ global engagement,” Nagy said. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to share my passion for international education with the Clemson community.”

Nagy comes to Clemson with experience in international research, teaching and curriculum design. An ethnographer of contemporary society in the Arabian Gulf, Nagy earned a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in political economy from the University of California at Berkeley. She attended high school in the Gulf States, an area of the world that remains the focus of her ethnographic research and publications. 

Nagy taught anthropology at DePaul University and Bowdoin College. She has also worked in overseas institutions, teaching English as a second language at American University of Cairo, Egypt, and serving as a visiting Fulbright Scholar and professor at University of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. 

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