Gregory Crawford: Establishing a New Normal
Gregory P. Crawford, PhD, the president of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, began his international studies in graduate school at Kent State University. After two international sabbaticals in his career, Crawford developed a passion for providing students with international experiences.
Over his career, he has led immersion experiences for student groups in India, Japan, and the Netherlands, as well as implemented such experiences into the many programs he has developed. In 2019, Miami University won the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Campus Internationalization.
Before Crawford became president of Miami University in 2016, he was a vice president, associate provost, and dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame and the dean of engineering at Brown University. His research career has focused on materials, photonics and applications, and pedagogy, emphasizing the teaching and training of entrepreneurship in all disciplines.
International Educator spoke with Crawford about COVID-19’s effects on Miami’s internationalization and education abroad programs, what it means to be a global citizen, and his perspective on leadership amid uncertainty.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
How has the pandemic affected what study abroad looks like at Miami—and what it will look like moving forward?
During the spring and summer, our study abroad team and leadership analyzed our large portfolio of faculty-led, provider-sponsored, and cosponsored programs. We reimagined and designed our portfolio to ensure we are meeting our students’ needs to gain cultural and global consciousness and competence
