Following an extensive selection process that considered candidates from around the world, the International Baccalaureate® (IB) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr George Rupp as Chair of its Board of Governors, effective 13 April 2015.
Dr Rupp, a distinguished scholar and educational leader, has dedicated his career to international development and higher education as president of respected and diverse organizations such as the International Rescue Committee, Columbia University and Rice University. Through his considerable worldwide experience, Dr Rupp brings significant understanding of the IB’s mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who create a better and more peaceful world.
George Rupp served as president of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for 11 years (2002-2013), fulfilling the IRC’s mission to improve the lives of refugees uprooted by war and conflict in some of the most troubled parts of the world. In that period, the IRC responded to a wide range of humanitarian crises caused by conflict and natural disaster: the civil war in Syria, the war in Iraq, the conflict in Darfur, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2008 cyclone in Myanmar, and earthquakes in Pakistan and Haiti. The IRC has also carried out major development and assistance programs in Afghanistan, Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Thailand and elsewhere. Dr Rupp worked with the IRC offices in Geneva, Brussels and Washington DC.
Prior to his tenure at the IRC, Dr Rupp was President of Columbia University for nine years (1993-2002), where he deepened the university’s commitment to international exchange and education, and guided it to become more socially diverse than any other highly selective private college. He strengthened undergraduate education, deepened the relationship of the campus to surrounding communities, and oversaw the financial restructuring of the university. He came to Columbia from Rice University, which under his Presidency enjoyed eight years (1985-1993) of rapid growth in applications, research funding and endowment capital.
Dr Rupp is a widely experienced board member, and is a longstanding member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Education, which envisions a world in which international is part of everyone’s education. He has also served on Boards for the Committee for Economic Development and the Council on Foreign Relations. He Chaired the Association of American Universities.
Dr Rupp is the author of numerous articles and books, including Globalization Challenged: Conviction, Conflict, Community published, in 2008, in which he explored how to reconcile traditional religious belief with secularism in ways that lessen conflict and strengthen community. Based on experience gained in the field in countries where the IRC operates, his book makes the case for inclusion that respects diverse perspectives and convictions.
Dr Rupp earned bachelor’s degrees from Princeton and Yale and a Ph.D. from Harvard. He served on the faculty at the University of Redlands, Harvard and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He studied in Germany and conducted research in Sri Lanka.
Manu Rana, Chair of the Chair's Selection Committee, and an IB Diploma Programme graduate, says: “Dr Rupp’s considerable experience in educational and humanitarian organizations will be of great benefit to IB’s Board of Governors. Dr Rupp joins as IB’s four major education programmes, already serving over a million students in more than 140 countries, are seeing ever-increasing interest from the international community. We look forward to Dr Rupp’s contributions to IB’s mission of delivering the best international education worldwide.”
Dr Siva Kumari, Director General of IB adds, “I look forward to working with Dr George Rupp to fully realize the IB's potential in this interconnected and yet individualized world and to develop young people as internationally minded, critical thinkers who address global issues in creative ways.”
Dr Rupp succeeds Carol Bellamy, former Executive Director of UNICEF and former Director of the Peace Corps, who has been Chair since 2009. As Chair, Ms Bellamy oversaw the profound reorganization of the IB that was required to ensure that the organization could appropriately serve its growing community of IB World Schools. She has led the completion of the IB’s 2015 strategic plan that will ensure the success of the IB for years to come.
 is pleased to announce the selection of Dr George Rupp as Chair of its Board of Governors, effective 13 April 2015.){kind=icon}