Senior Staff Biographies
Jeffrey Riedinger
Dean, International Studies and Programs
209 International Center
(517) 355-2352
ispdean@msu.edu
Jeffrey Riedinger is Dean, International Studies and Programs; and Professor, Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies at Michigan State University.
As a comparative political scientist, Riedinger has a developing area focus, with special emphasis on Southeast and East Asia. His work applies theories of political economy and state-society relations to problems of economic development. Riedinger is particularly interested in the way that political liberalization and democratization reforms affect the distribution of economic assets such as land, and in the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the formulation and implementation of development policies.
Thematically, Riedinger's work focuses on the political economy of redistributive agrarian reform, the role of NGOs in shaping and implementing agricultural and environmental policy, sustainable agriculture and natural resource management, and the legal rights of indigenous populations. His research is intended to guide policymaking through applied policy analysis. Riedinger's research is informed by empirical fieldwork in Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan.
Dawn Pysarchik
Associate Dean, International Studies and Programs
209 International Center
(517) 355-2351
pysarchi@msu.edu
Dawn Pysarchik is an associate dean in International Studies and Programs and Professor in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing at Michigan State University (MSU). As associate dean, she regularly works with academic and support units at MSU , as well as institutions nationally and internationally, to develop or expand their international research, teaching, and outreach programs. She works collaboratively with other campus units to offer an array of activities to internationalize the campus. As the oversight administrator of the internationally-recognized Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) in Hikone, Japan, she interfaces with the fifteen public Michigan universities that constitute the JCMU consortium. JCMU operates year round and hosts a unique array of study abroad programs for American and Japanese students and faculty. She has a keen interest in the impact of international activities on the professional and personal development of students and is a member of an ACE-coordinated research study to assess students' international learning. She also holds leadership positions on the Michigan-Shiga (Japan) Sister-State and Sister-City Boards and assists a variety of organizations to expand international community outreach.
As an MSU faculty member in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, she teaches and is involved in ongoing studies of comparative distribution systems and market development. In that regard, she has analyzed the evolution of distribution systems amidst economic, political, and social changes in emerging markets. She has received funding for various marketing and consumer research projects in India, Korea and Mexico. Dr. Pysarchik is a frequent presenter at international research conferences and publishes in a variety of research and professional journals. She periodically teaches international procurement and product development.
Eric Freedman
Assistant Dean, International Studies and Programs
209 International Center
(517) 355-4729
freema5@msu.edu
Eric Freedman is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for reporting. He is a former Fulbright senior scholar in Uzbekistan and has conducted training workshops for professional journalists in Central Asia sponsored by the State Department, Internews, Freedom House, and other organizations. He has led MSU study abroad programs in Australia and the British Isles and served as the liaison between the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and the Office of Study Abroad.
Freedman's research interests include press rights and journalistic practices in Central Asia and media coverage of international environmental issues. His newspaper and magazine articles have taken readers from a Great Silk Road bazaar to lawn bowls in Fiji, from the Toronto waterfront to a crumbling castle in the Spanish Pyrenees, from the dying Aral Sea to London's Fleet Street, and beyond. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including African Americans in Congress: A Documentary History.
Freedman earned a bachelor's degree in government from Cornell University, a master's degree in resource development from MSU, and a law degree from New York University. His ISP responsibilities include helping to develop a Global and Area Studies major; working with the area studies and thematic centers, the Office of Study Abroad, and the Office of International Development, and participating in grant applications and research and education initiatives.
Patricia Lambert
Assistant to the Dean of International Studies & Programs (ISP)
209 International Center
(517) 355-2350
lamber73@msu.edu
As the assistant to the dean, Pat Lambert brings a diverse background in international programs, higher education administration, nursing education and grant development to International Studies and Programs. She has served as faculty and the director of undergraduate and graduate distance education in the College of Nursing at MSU.
Lambert manages international initiatives and collaborates in strategic planning for ISP. She also administers ISP partnership agreements, and information technology. Additionally, Lambert participates in several university initiatives and committees including Cultural Engagement, Enterprise Business Systems, Institutional Diversity and Internationalizing the Student Experience conferences. She is collaborating with MSUGlobal and the Center for International Business, Education and Research on the development of online cultural knowledge modules related to China and India for use by corporations, educators and students.