Interim Provost Joy K. Ward announced today that longtime international affairs leader David Fleshler will become vice provost and interim executive director of Siegal Lifelong Learning later this month.
Fleshler, who became Case Western Reserve’s first senior administrator focused on global engagement in 2009, will now lead a program that provides a broad range of personal and professional development offerings.
“We appreciate David’s willingness to lead Siegal during this time of transition,” Ward said. “Its programs have expanded and evolved significantly since its 2012 launch, and we look forward to David’s leadership in serving the greater Cleveland community in his new role.”
The university established Siegal Lifelong Learning as part of a partnership with the Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies that combined both organizations’ community education offerings. Siegal Lifelong Learning has since expanded to include international travel experiences, as well as certificate programs in such topics as coding and cybersecurity.
“I am excited to lead Siegal Lifelong Learning in its next chapter,” Fleshler said. “The professionals at SLLL have worked hard to assure that the university has programs important to our entire community. I look forward to working with the Siegal staff, with university leadership, and with the broader community in Greater Cleveland to fully realize the potential of the SLLL program.”
The Center for International Affairs also is amid its own period of change. As part of efforts to ensure consistent application of increasingly complex immigration regulations, the university recently moved student visa services previously managed through the center to the Department of Human Resources. Meanwhile, support for international students is now housed in the Division of Student Affairs.
Going forward, the primary focus of the Center for International Affairs will be to develop and advance collaborations that grow Case Western Reserve’s international research portfolio. Given that many of humanity’s greatest challenges have no borders, global cooperation is increasingly essential to identifying promising solutions.