Sophia Howlett named President of School for International Training

March 9th, 2017   |   SIT Graduate Institute

Photo - Sophia Howlett

School for International Training, which includes SIT Graduate Institute and SIT Study Abroad, announces the appointment of international educator Dr. Sophia Howlett as President.

Dr. Howlett comes to SIT from Kean University in New Jersey, where she was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. She holds a PhD in European Renaissance Philosophy and Literature from York University, UK, and a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University. She has extensive international experience in more than 40 countries. During the past two decades, she has taught, researched and written in philosophy, literature, and comparative and international higher education policy.

“Dr. Howlett has extraordinary leadership talent, a record of past achievements, academic rigor, outstanding judgment, inspirational vision and interpersonal skills. She will be a superb addition to our family,” said Donald Steinberg, CEO of World Learning Inc., the parent organization of SIT. “Her broad international and academic experience make her the right leader for SIT as we seek new ways to empower a new generation of global citizens to confront inequality, marginalization, xenophobia and isolationism.”

“It is with enormous pride that I take on the position of President,” said Dr. Howlett. “I have worked for many years with friends and colleagues whose lives were changed by SIT. I am very aware of their expectations and those of all alumni, faculty and staff who make SIT such a special family. Together, we will move forward to shape a vision for SIT's future.”

In 1997, Dr. Howlett became director of the External Higher Education Co-operation Office at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She founded the school’s Special and Extension Program focusing on international higher education development for emerging democracies, and was its Dean from 1999 through 2012. There, she developed the first international program providing access to graduate education for Romanies; oversaw human rights activities across the region including the creation of the first LGBTQ network for Eastern Europe; and developed faculty support programming recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

She has served on the boards of NGOs including the Civic Education Project. She was an Open Society Institute Fellow, a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and a consultant, trainer and evaluator with Open Society Foundations, Amideast, Institute of International Education, the Academic Training Association, the Swiss Development Agency, and others.

She worked at the ministerial level to support higher education in Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia and the Palestinian territories. She has conducted policy briefings for NGOs and research on Renaissance philosophy. Her most recent work, Marsilio Ficino and His World, was published in 2016.

School for International Training (SIT) is an accredited academic institution offering graduate level education and undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Graduate Institute and SIT Study Abroad. SIT is part of World Learning, a private, nonprofit international organization that empowers emerging leaders and strengthens institutions through education, exchange, and sustainable development programs.

SIT Graduate Institute offers MA and certificate programs in TESOL, sustainable development, international education, peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and inclusive security in Brattleboro, Vt., and Washington, DC.

SIT Study Abroad offers field-based, experiential education programs for undergraduates in 30 countries, focusing on critical global issues of peace and conflict, human rights, development, global health, multiculturalism, the environment, and the arts.