Ivan Sascha Sheehan, associate professor, has been named associate dean of The University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs (CPA), following the retirement of Laura Wilson-Gentry, who served as the college’s associate dean since its inception in 2010. Sheehan’s appointment was announced by CPA Dean Roger Hartley just before the holiday break.
“I knew I needed a leader with experience in college-wide leadership, program leadership, school leadership, curriculum change, mentoring faculty, and someone who is efficient and able to work through complex challenges with ease,” Hartley said. “The opportunity to hire an award-winning faculty member who exemplifies the best of our work, was impossible to ignore.”
Associate Dean Sheehan has been a faculty member at The University of Baltimore since 2009. He served two terms as executive director of the School of Public and International Affairs, and, prior to that, as the dual director of the graduate programs in Global Affairs and Human Security and Negotiation and Conflict Management. He also served two terms as president of the CPA Faculty Senate. Among his many accomplishments, Sheehan was the recipient of a University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for excellence in mentoring, a UBalt President’s Award for teaching, scholarship, and service, and a citation from the Maryland Senate in recognition of “exceptional leadership and service to The University of Baltimore.”
“When I joined the UBalt faculty 14 years ago, I could not have predicted that our institution would one day be home to a leading College of Public Affairs known for democratic engagement,” Prof. Sheehan said. “But I knew I had found something special in the mission of our University and the students it serves.
“I am thrilled to serve in this new leadership role and look forward to working alongside a committed faculty and staff in support of a college dedicated to preparing students to pursue the public interest. Public service is a noble calling, and I am energized daily knowing that education is transformative, for individuals and communities alike.”
Sheehan added: “As associate dean, I look forward to helping our college prepare students to address the challenges of the 21st century and supporting them in their educational pursuits.”
As a faculty member, Sheehan specializes in terrorism, counterterrorism, and U.S. foreign policy. The author of approximately 150 publications, his foreign policy writing has appeared in prominent outlets in the United States and Europe. Sheehan’s early scholarship focused on evidence-based counterterrorism policy, terrorism teaching, terrorist group designations, counterinsurgency, suicide terrorism, and regime change. Sheehan holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. from George Mason University, and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.
Learn more about Prof. Sheehan.
