Ohio State University Welcomes New Vice Provost For Global Strategies And International Affairs

The Ohio State University has selected Kaya Şahin as its next vice provost for global strategies and international affairs, effective Nov. 1. Şahin currently serves as executive associate dean of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University (IU).

At Ohio State, Şahin will lead the university’s continuing efforts to develop and implement an evolving global strategy in collaboration with students, faculty and staff. The Office of International Affairs provides leadership and coordination for Ohio State’s international engagement, including through Area Studies Centers; Global Education; Global Gateways in Brazil, China and India; the Global One Health initiative; international partnerships; and support for international students and scholars.

“I am thrilled to be joining Ohio State and engaging faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners to advance the university’s global reach and impact,” Şahin said. “I look forward to working with colleagues in the Office of International Affairs and around the institution on our strategy for global engagement.”

As executive associate dean at IU, Şahin oversees four departments and 22 centers, institutes and programs. In this role, he has been involved in campus and curriculum internationalization, global academic mobility, academic partnerships, and local and international engagement. Şahin previously served as academic director of IU’s Eurasia Gateway, where he worked to enhance academic and institutional relations between IU and potential regional partners.

A member of IU’s Department of History for more than a decade, Şahin has held adjunct appointments in Central Eurasian studies and Middle Eastern languages and cultures. He served as director of Renaissance studies and Islamic studies and as a member of the IU Press faculty board. He received numerous grants and fellowships from American and European institutions.

Şahin’s global perspective is built on his personal, academic and administrative experiences. Initially arriving in the United States on an F-1 student visa, he eventually became a naturalized citizen. He has spent the past two decades establishing research collaborations with individuals and institutions worldwide. As a historian of the Ottoman Empire, Şahin has emphasized comparative and regional and global perspectives in his publications. His most recent book, published by Oxford University Press in 2023, is Peerless among Princes: The Life and Times of Sultan Süleyman.

Şahin earned a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, an MA in history from Sabancı University, and a BA in political science and international relations from Boğaziçi University. He spent eight years at the French-language Lycée de Galatasaray.

Şahin will assume his leadership role at Ohio State as outgoing Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs Gil Latz retires at the end of December.

“We very much appreciate Gil’s service to the university and the Office of International Affairs during his tenure,” said Ohio State Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa Gilliam. “My thanks as well as to the diligent work of the search advisory committee members as we prepare to welcome Kaya to our Ohio State community.”