Globally Recognized Leader Patti McGill Peterson Joins the Institute for Higher Education Policy
Published May 15, 2014
Washington, D.C., May 9, 2007—The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) today announced the appointment of internationally recognized higher education leader Patti McGill Peterson as a senior associate. Peterson will join the nonprofit organization following her retirement as executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), which administers the Fulbright Scholar Program worldwide on behalf of the U.S Department of State, and as vice president of the Institute of International Education.
As senior associate at IHEP, Peterson will play a key role in the organization’s growing portfolio of projects concerned with increasing access to higher education. Her work at IHEP will focus on training policy leaders in higher education; expanding higher education capacity in developing nations, particularly Africa; and improving quality and accountability in higher education, both in the U.S. and global context.
“Patti Peterson’s presence adds extensive experience and skills to our senior leadership in higher education policy and practice,” said IHEP President Jamie P. Merisotis. “She brings broad and unique leadership experience and, as a former college president, offers a significant track record of success in effective management and program development. We are delighted to have Patti as a colleague and contributor to our work.”
Considered a leading voice for an accessible, high quality global system of higher education, Peterson has held several leadership positions throughout her extensive career. During her tenure at CIES, the Fulbright Scholar Program added notable dimensions and developed several new programs to foster greater cross-cultural collaboration on topics of global significance and encourage higher education development through academic exchange. Peterson previously served as a senior fellow at Cornell University's Institute for Public Affairs and as a college president for nearly two decades, holding the title “president emerita” at both Wells College and St. Lawrence University.
Peterson earned a baccalaureate degree from Pennsylvania State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She also completed post-graduate study at Harvard University.
