Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Elects Indiana University Chancellor and President Emeritus Michael A. McRobbie to Its Board of Directors

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, March 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a nonprofit leader in study abroad and international exchange that has been building bridges between people, countries, and cultures since 1947, has elected Indiana University President Emeritus, University Chancellor, and University Professor Michael A. McRobbie to its board of directors. Michael's distinguished career in higher education leadership and his championing of international engagement has positioned him to provide valuable support for CIEE's mission to help people acquire cross-cultural understanding and other skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.

Prior to his current roles, Michael served as the 18^th president of Indiana University (IU) from 2007-2021. During his 14-year tenure as president, he oversaw extensive change at IU, including the largest academic restructuring in the university's history featuring the establishment of 10 new schools and hundreds of new degrees and academic programs; major increases in financial aid, research funding, and campus diversity; more than 200 major construction, renovation, or maintenance projects; and completion of the record $4 billion IU Bicentennial fundraising campaign. He reinvigorated IU's global engagement, founding the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies (2012), doubling study abroad numbers, expanding international partnerships, and establishing global gateway offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Mexico City, and New Delhi.

Michael has held faculty appointments in computer science, philosophy, cognitive science, informatics, and computer technology, and has been principal investigator on numerous large grants totaling more than $100 million. He has chaired the boards of the Association of American Universities, the Big Ten Athletics Conference, and Internet2, and served on the boards of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the IU Health hospital system.

Michael holds a B.A. with first class honors from the University of Queensland, a Ph.D. from the Australian National University, and has been awarded eight honorary doctorates. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Australian Academy of Humanities, and is a member the Council on Foreign Relations.

"We are delighted to welcome Michael to the CIEE Board of Directors and look forward to the many ways in which he will help us advance our timeless mission to advance peace in our world through people-to-people exchange programs," said Laura A. Brege, Chair of the CIEE board. "In particular, we look forward to his advice on how best to leverage technology to serve our students and partners around the world."

"Michael's international roots, extraordinary career in technology and higher education, as well as his brilliant track record in philanthropy, will bring CIEE tremendous gifts and insights as we strive to democratize international education for all students from all backgrounds," said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE. 

About CIEE:
CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. For 75 years, we have helped young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. Since 1947, CIEE has supported more than one million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Learn more at ciee.org.

Media Contact: Leslie Taylor, [email protected], (207) 553-4274

SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)