News & Stories

John H. Coatsworth: A Vision of Excellence

Posted Feb 17 2012

On February 17, 2012, President Lee C. Bollinger appointed SIPA Dean John H. Coatsworth as Provost of Columbia University.

The announcement marks the close of a tremendously successful tenure for Coatsworth at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs—an era of remarkable progress and growth in the School’s mission to equip new leaders to serve the global public interest.

Coatsworth, a leading scholar of Latin American economic and international history, has served as Dean since 2008. During those four years, Coatsworth led SIPA to its current position as an independent graduate school at Columbia, guided a transformation of curriculum to better prepare students for the professional policy challenges they will face, and propelled a dramatic rise in the student fellowship budget, fueled by record alumni giving.

“Everything that we know about human progress tells us that institutions and policies really matter. If you want an economy that functions well, if you want a social fabric that doesn’t pull apart, there’s almost nothing that human beings do that doesn’t require effective public policy and people who implement it.

“Our job is to empower those people—students, faculty, alumni, employers—with the knowledge and skills to accomplish those tasks and solve the world’s problems. That is the single vision of the school that works for me.”

Among Coatsworth’s signature achievements was the academic and financial autonomy of SIPA, which occurred in 2009. While maintaining close ties with the Arts and Sciences, SIPA was freed to develop its own priorities in recruiting faculty, set enrollment targets, and develop new and unique programs.

Concurrent with the School’s independence was the launch of a more focused curriculum. The new curriculum streamlined concentrations, added managerial courses, and placed greater emphasis on Capstone workshops.

Coatsworth recognized that students are the heart and soul of SIPA. By the end of his tenure, students benefited from a 50-percent increase in the School’s fellowship budget since 2007. This was achieved primarily through donor generosity—a record number of new endowed fellowships created by gifts ranging from $100,000 to $3 million.

SIPA’s faculty are the foremost scholars, researchers, and practitioners in their fields, coming from the highest levels of academic, government, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations. Coatsworth, alongside Vice Dean Robert Lieberman, has been instrumental in the appointment of many such distinguished faculty at SIPA.

“Faculty want to come here from other places because they want to be associated with one of the best institutions in the world, which has the resources for their research and for their teaching.


"They are the economists, and the political scientists, and the historians, and the anthropologists that are most interested in policy issues. So they are at the peak of their profession in their discipline, but they also have unique insights into public policy.”

Among the recent appointments is Jan Svejnar, director of SIPA’s new Center for Global Economic Governance. The Center is to launch in 2012, bringing to fruition Coatsworth’s vision of SIPA as a hub for scholars, practitioners, and students who focus on issues that impact the global economy. Coatsworth was also instrumental in the launch of Columbia University’s Global Centers in Santiago, Chile and Istanbul, Turkey, where SIPA alumni serve as directors.

Since Coatsworth's arrival as Interim Dean in 2007, fundraising efforts toward the $150 million campaign goal have made dramatic strides. By emphasizing the importance of endowing student fellowships, securing faculty chairs, and procuring crucial programmatic support, SIPA has raised more than $10 million annually under Coatsworth’s leadership and has significantly broadened its reach of supporters around the world.

Coatsworth was also instrumental in expanding SIPA’s Advisory Board and Alumni Council. The Advisory Board brings together more than 30 distinguished professionals representing the diversity of the School’s interests to advise the Dean on issues central to the School’s mission. The Alumni Council has grown to over 50 members from SIPA’s global alumni community and works to strengthen SIPA’s network and to foster the network’s connection to the School.

Coatsworth instituted SIPA’s 2010 – 2015 Strategic Plan, which makes students the top priority. His vision is to raise SIPA’s standing within the top tier of public policy schools as measured by the School’s ability to recruit and retain top faculty, attract outstanding students from around the world, and contribute to public debate on global issues.

The Plan includes the first-ever survey of student satisfaction, which provides detailed insight into what students believe SIPA does well and where improvements need to be made. Survey results have already led to significant changes in areas such career services, information technology, and with SIPA’s physical infrastructure.

“I’ve met students with extraordinary backgrounds and experience, some of them at the top of their governments or at the top of great enterprises, who come here to learn something more. And many are just starting out in their careers, but they’ve already done extraordinary things. The students are the best part of the School.”

Graduate students from across the Columbia community also benefit from a strengthened International Fellows Program. Launched in 1960 and reinvigorated by Coatsworth through the generosity of alumni, the International Fellows Program enrolls students of diverse perspectives and professional backgrounds to examine the current international order and look ahead to the new world.

“SIPA is a unique place. It is a rich curriculum. It is an incredibly diverse student body. The faculty are among the best in the world. I can’t imagine anybody wanting to go anyplace else.”

John H. Coatsworth received his BA in history from Wesleyan University and his MA and PhD in economic history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He taught at the University of Chicago from 1969 to 1992 and then joined the Harvard faculty as Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs, where he became the founding director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. His other academic posts have included visiting professorships in Argentina, Mexico, and Spain.

Coatsworth is a former president of the American Historical Association and the Latin American Studies Association; he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the council on Foreign Relations.

Coatsworth is the author or editor of eight books and many scholarly articles, focusing on comparative economic, social, and international history of Latin America, especially Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.