Dr. Ellen Fitzpatrick, associate professor of economics and director of the Latin American Studies program at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, has been named associate professor and director of international programs at the Clinton School.
At SUNY-Plattsburgh, Fitzpatrick initiated field service programs that placed students in service learning experiences in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Turkey. She also coordinated the development of a new major in global studies, teaching courses on international political economy, sustainability and development, and global experiential learning. These efforts earned her the SUNY-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2010.
“Dr. Fitzpatrick brings extensive experience in international field service education to our program,” said Clinton School dean Skip Rutherford. “The international experience is a key component of the Clinton School and I know our students will benefit greatly from Dr. Fitzpatrick’s teaching and leadership.”
At the Clinton School, Fitzpatrick will teach courses related to international education and coordinate the International Public Service Project (IPSP), one of three, for-credit public service projects in the Master of Public Service (MPS) degree program. She will be responsible for further developing the school’s international education programs through building collaborative relationships with organizations and institutions both nationally and internationally.
“I’m pleased to welcome Dr. Fitzpatrick to the Clinton School faculty,” said Dr. Susan Hoffpauir, associate dean of academic affairs. “Her combination of knowledge and experience will play a vital role in our efforts to make the Clinton School a leader in international field service education.”
In the past six years, the IPSP program has sent Clinton School students to over 50 countries to complete projects related to combating global hunger, fostering educational opportunities for children, promoting corporate responsibility and expanding healthcare in the third world.
“I’m looking forward to this opportunity to help nurture and extend the international field service program at the Clinton School,” Fitzpatrick said. “The school’s bold vision to train global leaders in public service offers outstanding opportunities to students who are interested in international service.”
Fitzpatrick earned bachelors’ degrees in economics and Southeast Asian studies from the University of California-Santa Cruz. She completed her master’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis and earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Michigan State University.
She has visited 15 different countries as a faculty member for two trips with the Semester at Sea program at the University of Virginia. She also spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar at Isik University in Istanbul, Turkey, where she researched dynamics of sustainable growth in several horticultural sectors and taught graduate courses in international trade and competitiveness.
Fitzpatrick will begin her Clinton School appointment on January 9, 2012.