Kathleen Fairfax, the current assistant vice president for international affairs and outreach at South Dakota State University, has been selected as the new Vice Provost for International Affairs at Colorado State University.

She is taking over the position from Dr. Jim Cooney, who is retiring from CSU at the end of the summer after 12 years in the office. He will then move into a position of special assistant to the Provost and Executive Vice President.

“Kathleen has a wealth of experience in all areas that our Office of International Programs oversees,” said Rick Miranda, provost and executive vice president. “Her natural abilities and interest in innovation, collaboration, budget management, external relations, and mentoring will serve us very well in the coming years.”

Before joining SDSU, where she oversees all international, online, continuing and extended education programs, Fairfax served as vice provost for global education at Arizona State University and directed study abroad programs at Michigan State, Purdue, Southwestern University in Texas and DePauw University.  She also worked as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department after obtaining her degrees from Indiana University (master’s in political science and international relations) and DePauw (bachelor’s in political science and Spanish).

“Colorado State is a recognized leader in the field of international education, and I am excited to be joining the team of energetic and accomplished professionals,” Fairfax said. “In addition, my family and I are looking forward to exploring all that Fort Collins has to offer.”

Fairfax is active nationally in several professional organizations, including the Council on International Education and The Forum on Education Abroad.

“Kathleen brings a comprehensive knowledge of international issues in higher education to our campus,” Miranda added. “We look forward to welcoming her to Fort Collins at the end of August.”