Linda Racioppi, associate dean for research and professor in James Madison College, will be recommended as interim dean of the college, succeeding Sherman Garnett, who is stepping down as dean after two decades of service.
If approved by the MSU Board of Trustees, the appointment will be effective May 16, 2020.
Since August 2019, Racioppi has served as responsible administrator of James Madison College. She previously served as interim director of the Center for Asian Studies and its director of special projects and strategic partnerships. With a background in comparative politics and international relations, Racioppi’s recent research and teaching have focused on gender, power and international development; women’s grassroots organizing; ethnicity, nationalism and ethnic conflict; and disaster studies. She is currently engaged in a collaborative study to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of alternative worker deployment models in the tea industry in Sri Lanka.
“With a global pandemic, growing social and economic inequalities and political polarization, James Madison College’s mission to educate the next generation of leaders in public and international affairs has never been more important,” Racioppi said. “I appreciate the confidence placed in me to serve the College during these challenging times and look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and alumni to help the College transition to a new dean.”