On August 10, faculty and staff at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, gathered at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center to recognize Dean Ryan Crocker and longtime faculty member and administrator Arnold Vedlitz. The event was an opportunity for faculty and staff to show their appreciation to Dean Crocker and Dr. Vedlitz for their significant accomplishments and leadership at the Bush School.
Crocker will continue as executive professor at the Bush School and will also hold an appointment in the Office of the Provost at Texas A&M. Vedlitz is leaving his current administrative posts as executive associate dean and as director of the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy. He will continue to hold the Bob Bullock Chair in Government and Public Policy.
Crocker has served as dean since 2010, taking a leave of absence from 2011 to 2013 to serve as US ambassador to Afghanistan. During his time as dean, the Bush School has grown tremendously, with record enrollment the past several years and several impressive additions to the Bush School faculty. A highly respected diplomat, he has as served as a US ambassador six times, including Afghanistan (2011-2013), Iraq (2007-2009), Pakistan (2004-2007), Syria (1998-2001), Kuwait (1994-1997), and Lebanon (1990-1993). Since joining the Foreign Service in 1971, he also has had assignments in Iran, Qatar, Iraq, and Egypt, as well as in Washington. From May to August 2003, he was in Baghdad as the first director of governance for the Coalition Provisional Authority and was deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs from August 2001 to May 2003. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Association of American Ambassadors.
Dr. Vedlitz was one of the first members of the Bush School faculty and has served as director of the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy (ISTPP) since its founding in 2000. During Vedlitz’ tenure as director, ISTPP has been awarded more than $16 million in externally funded research grants from twenty-two different sponsors, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Homeland Security, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among many others. Since coming to Texas A&M in 1973, Vedlitz has served in a number of administrative positions, including associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, associate provost for external affairs, and executive associate dean of the Bush School, a position he resumed in 2013. He received his BA and MA degrees in government from Louisiana State University and his PhD in political science from the University of Houston.
