Shlomi Dinar named dean of Green School of International & Public Affairs

Shlomi Dinar has been appointed dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. He has served as interim dean since August 2022 and is a full professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Dinar joined FIU in 2004 as an assistant professor of politics and international relations and also served as the school’s associate dean for academics and associate dean for graduate studies and innovation. He played a key role formulating the school’s strategy, mission and vision as it prepared to become a freestanding and named academic unit in 2015, after receiving a transformative gift of $20 million from Ambassador Steven J. Green, his wife Dorothea Green and their daughter Kimberly Green. Thereafter, he helped develop its capacity in graduate and professional education, fundraising, research, strategic communications and career services.

Dinar succeeds Green School founding dean, John F. Stack, Jr., who passed away in 2022.

“Dean Dinar has a clear and ambitious vision that aims to leverage and increase research and scholarship, enhance the reputation and visibility of the Green School, and augment its influence locally, nationally and globally,” said Elizabeth Bejar, provost and executive vice president of FIU, in a letter announcing the decision. “The goal is for the Green School to be known as a top school for the study of international and public affairs and go-to academic institution for impactful policy-relevant research and programming.”

Under his leadership over the past nine months as interim dean, the school has received some of the best U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings in its history – public affairs ranked No. 46 overall among public schools (No. 63 nationally), global policy at No. 2 (No. 11 nationally), homeland security ranked No. 7 (No. 8 nationally), public finance at No. 20 (No. 26 nationally) and leadership at No. 27 (No. 35 nationally) – and has secured important gifts and grants from the Hewlett Foundation, Mellon Foundation and the Meghji Family Trust. 

Dinar played a key role in the Green School’s successful effort to become a full member of the prestigious Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) – the only APSIA member school in Florida, among only 25 in the U.S. and 38 in the world. The imminent completion of SIPA Phase II, the new 80,000-square-foot west wing of the Green School, will unite most of the school’s departments and centers under one roof, providing students and faculty increased opportunities to connect and collaborate.

Dinar received his PhD in international relations from Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, his MA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and his BA from the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on global freshwater resources, examining the intersection of environmental politics, climate change and security with specific attention to conflict, negotiation and cooperation over transboundary rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. More recently his research has turned to considering non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations, and their use of freshwater resources as a weapon and target. Dinar has published five books, with two more forthcoming, and has had many articles published in highly ranked journals spanning several disciplines. He has made presentations at many conferences and been invited to present lectures at events around the world, including academic and policy forums.

Dinar has participated in several consultancy projects. For the World Bank, he led teams from Israel, Spain and the United States exploring the effectiveness of existing river basin agreements and institutions. He was also a member of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Selection Committee. Dinar was an Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Pemberton Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University in the United Kingdom. He is currently on the editorial board of International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law, and Economics.

“It is an exceptional honor to be named dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs,” Dinar said. “I have a great sense of connection with our university and the school and its many achievements. I am deeply invested in our school’s success and look forward to working with our devoted faculty, staff and friends to lift it to even greater heights.”