Dr. John Marcum, a Founding Member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia, Passed Away

It is with great sadness to announce that  Dr. John Marcum, a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia, passed away on September 12, 2013 after an extended illness.

John was the University of California’s former Associate Provost for International Academic Activities and the University-wide Director of UC’s Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) from 1990 to 2007.  In this capacity, it was natural for him to be one of the principal actors in the University of California’s role in the founding of AUA.  For his contributions to AUA, his picture can be found on our Founders’ Wall on the fourth floor of PAB.

Here is some additional biographical material about John from the letter sent by the current director of UCEAP:

“John led UCEAP from 1990 to 2007 and was the architect of a major expansion of UCEAP programs and activities including the establishment of the “Great Cities” programs in London, Rome and Paris as well as UC offices in London, Mexico City and Shanghai. Throughout his tenure, John grew and sustained UCEAP’s focus on academic excellence, reciprocal exchanges, immersion study abroad, and international UC engagement.

Educated at Stanford (B.A. and Ph.D.), Columbia (M.A.) and Sciences Po in Paris (Fulbright), John was an accomplished and highly-respected political scientist and a distinguished scholar of African decolonization. He inspired and mentored many of his faculty and staff colleagues to enter and flourish in the field of international education. He was a visionary leader among international education administrators and he grew the reputation of UCEAP as a premier study abroad program in the US.  Through his leadership of the flagship international education program of the University of California, John made a significant difference in the education and life of many UC and foreign students, staff, faculty and administrators. He will be dearly missed by all those whose life he touched.”

We have lost a champion of our university.  On behalf of the American University of Armenia,  we extend our most sincere condolences to John’s family and friends at this difficult time.

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.