Message from the Dean
 In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into space; France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux nations signed the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community; Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” ranked #1 on the pop music charts; Wham-O Company produced the first Frisbee; the Dodgers announced their plan to move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles; and Toyota exported its first automobile to the United States.
That same year, the University of Pittsburgh announced the establishment of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) under the leadership of founding Dean Donald Stone. GSPIA’s first bulletin, dated 1958, described the objective that was to guide the development of the school: engaging in professional education of men and women who will deal with the crucial issues behind tomorrow’s headlines. The school soon came to be known as one of the select comprehensive institutions whose graduates could provide leadership in local, regional, national and international affairs.
Now, fifty years and 7,000 GSPIA alumni later, I am honored to be assuming the dean’s position. The world has changed enormously since the era of Elvis and Sputnik, but the original objective of GSPIA remains our central focus. Our alumni in 48 states and more than 30 different countries around the world are working impressively on a daily basis to manage issues in the headlines. To list but a few leadership positions held by GSPIANs in recent years: US Congressman; US Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda; Senator and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Congress of Taiwan; Director of the Security Council Affairs Division in the Department of Public Affairs of the United Nations; member of the Turkish parliament; Minister of University Affairs in Thailand; President of Indiana University at Bloomington; Chancellor of the State University System of Florida; U.S. Representative to NATO’s Military Committee; Chair of the Political Affairs Committee for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Executive Vice-President and Chief Rating Officer for Standard & Poors; Officer in Charge, USAID—Pakistan; Vice-President Pro Tempore in the Washington State Senate; Director of the National Service Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); President of the Korean Public Administration Association; Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations for the City of New York; President of the Westinghouse Foundation; Deputy Mayor for the City of Seoul, Korea; Senior Management Analyst, US Office of Management and Budget; Program Manager for Community & Family Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Deputy Director of the Community Services Administration; Executive Administrator of Economic Opportunity Atlanta; Township Manager, Upper St. Clair Township; President of the Association for Pennsylvania Municipal Management; President and CEO, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance; CEO, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta; Executive Director, Action-Housing, Inc., Pittsburgh. What a remarkable collective CV!
As we begin a two-year celebration of GSPIA’s 50th anniversary, our mission is to enhance the resources and refine the curriculum of the school so as to produce another generation of leaders trained to cope, at every level of government, with the challenges of tomorrow. GSPIANs of the next half-century may deal with different issues than those of decades past, but we can assure you that they will tackle problems with the same level of expertise, integrity and commitment to building a better world.
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