Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy dean Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, at the end of the academic school year retired from his position at the Fletcher School after 12 years of service.
Admiral James Stavridis, former commander of the United States European Command and supreme allied commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will succeed Bosworth as the new dean on July 1. According to University President Anthony Monaco, Bosworth led a period of great expansion for the Fletcher School.
I think the tenure of Dean Bosworth will be seen as a time of growth [and] strengthening of academics things that will be remembered long after he is gone, because it has built a foundation for the future, he said.
Bosworth noted that his primary goal as dean of the Fletcher School was to make sure the curriculum fit the needs of the time.
I wanted to make sure our curriculum reflected what our world was really like, he said. That is why we did a number of things, including [starting] an international business program. We expanded the student body and, of particular importance, we expanded the faculty.
The Fletcher School under Bosworths leadership has also grown in terms of the number of faculty, students and programs, Monaco said.
According to Monaco, Bosworth doubled the endowment during his time at the Fletcher School, and the increased endowment has helped to improve academics and financial aid for students.
On the academic side, a lot of the endowment increases were to help students get here and have the opportunity to attend Fletcher, as well as the creation of a lot of research centers that brought in experts on big global challenges like conflict resolution or global development, he said. He also brought the World Peace Foundation here very recently, which was a great addition to Tufts.
According to Harris, the selection process for a new dean was difficult because so many of the applicants had exceptional experience.
Fletcher dean is a highly coveted position, he said. We had no shortage of candidates.
Harris said he is excited about Stavridis leadership and the experience he has to offer, but he looks back upon Bosworths time with appreciation.
Dean Bosworth came to Tufts with a unique combination of diplomatic and university experience, Harris said. He has excelled in working with external constituencies to attract multiple forms of support for Fletchers goals. He has also been an internal leader as Fletcher developed significant new programs.
Monaco also noted Bosworths diplomatic activity during and prior to his time at the Fletcher School, believing that it reflected the prowess of the schools faculty.
Having a dean of such international stature, given that he was a former ambassador to [South] Korea, the Philippines and Tunisia, and also [was] recently asked by the Obama administration to be a U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, it just gives Fletcher the exact kind of stature that it needs, Monaco said.
Monaco said he wanted to hire a new dean who would match Bosworths legacy.
We [were] looking for someone that will maintain the level of excellence that Fletcher has, so we [wanted] someone that has international experience and has stature internationally, one who has an academic as well as sort of diplomatic or real-world experience in international diplomacy, Monaco said.
In addition, Monaco said he hoped to have a dean with practical skills for university work.
They have to have a good network of individuals to increase the amount of interest in Fletcher, fundraising, more research and attracting really great faculty, Monaco said. We also hope that the new dean will continue what [Bosworth] started which is reaching out across the university and using the expertise of the Fletcher School to help us on some of the big global challenges that we want to address as a university.
Upon departing from Tufts, Bosworth plans to spend more time with his family, engage in speaking events and write, he said.
Ive been dean for 12 years, Bosworth said. That is a long time, and there are other things that I want to do in life, and Ive decided to move on.
Certainly I will remain very interested in Tufts, and in particular Fletcher, he added. But I think once you stop being dean, you stop being dean, he said. I will miss Tufts. It is a great place.
