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IU School of Global and International Studies dean appointed to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council

• Jan. 11, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- President Barack Obama has appointed Lee Feinstein, dean of the Indiana University School of Global and International Studies, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council is the governing board of trustees for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the nation’s official memorial to the Holocaust. The museum’s work on genocide and related crimes against humanity is conducted by the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide and guided by its Committee on Conscience, on which Feinstein also serves.

“It is an honor to be named to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council,” Feinstein said. “The museum is at the forefront of documenting and interpreting Holocaust history and working to stop and prevent mass atrocities worldwide. Its work has never been more important.”

Feinstein has served in high-level positions in foreign affairs and diplomacy over two decades, including as principal deputy director of policy planning at the Department of State and as U.S. ambassador to Poland. Before his appointment as ambassador, Feinstein was a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, specializing in American foreign policy, global governance and national security affairs.

He is co-author of "Means to an End: U.S. Interest and the International Criminal Court" and "Darfur and Beyond: What Is Needed to Prevent Mass Atrocities." Feinstein was appointed founding dean of the IU School of Global and International Studies in 2014. 

Appointments to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council are for five years. In addition to members appointed by the president, there are three members each from the House of Representatives and Senate as well as ex-officio members from the departments of education, interior and state. Feinstein joins IU alumna Cindy Simon-Skjodt on the council.

Established in 2012, the School of Global and International Studies at IU Bloomington promotes understanding of contemporary and global issues, informed by a deep knowledge of history, culture and language. The school is making one of the nation’s largest investments in global studies, with the addition of 25 new faculty members and the opening of its $50 million LEED-certified building, inaugurated by Secretary of State John Kerry in 2015.