Kline Harrison named Vice Provost for Global Affairs

Kline Harrison, who has led Wake Forest’s global programs for more than a decade, has been named Vice Provost for Global Affairs. 

Harrison joined the business faculty in 1990 and built Global Programs & Studies (GPS) from a small office supporting students studying abroad into a multi-faceted collection of initiatives establishing Wake Forest as a university with global reach.

“Our steadily expanding internationalization under Kline’s creative leadership has been a signal feature of the University’s development during the Hatch administration,” said Provost Rogan Kersh. “Emphasizing global moves – more students studying abroad, supporting faculty research around the world, vastly expanding our international student body, and globalizing curricula across our schools and disciplines – has transformed Wake Forest for the better. Kline, in his wonderfully collaborative way, has been an organizer of and inspiration for these historic changes.”The University’s re-accreditation in 2016 featured a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) dedicated to ‘Global Wake Forest.’  As a result, four new programs have been launched.

• Global Connections –  an academic program designed to enhance first-year undergraduate international students’ written and oral communication skills, self-awareness, and connection with campus leadership, faculty, staff and students.
• Global AWAKEnings – a first-year abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark, to develop global mindsets.
• The Global Village Living and Learning Community – an intentional community focused on cultivating social, cultural, and intellectual development of participants and is designed to foster engagement with the broader Wake Forest community.
• Global Laureates Academy – a network of faculty, staff and students who aim to make an impact on the Wake Forest University community by exploring topics and challenges associated with global learning.

In November 2020, Wake Forest was recognized by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Diversity Abroad for increasing access to global experiences for all students. The University ranks 4th among doctoral U.S. colleges and universities in the percentage of students studying abroad, with nearly 81% of Wake Forest undergraduates receiving credit for study abroad in the 2018-2019 academic year. 

Additionally, through the International Students and Scholars Office, Wake Forest has expanded its efforts to meet challenges for international students and scholars. The University also sponsors the Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement (WISE) conference, a premier annual global conference for faculty leaders, program coordinators and administrators to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help students advance their intercultural skills and awareness during their abroad experiences.

“ODI’s partnership with Kline and his team has been essential to Wake Forest’s goals of creating a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable community,” said José Villalba, Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion. “He is a colleague I consult with on a variety of issues and I am grateful for his collaboration.”

Harrison, who holds the Kemper Professor chair in the School of Business and is an award-winning teacher and scholar of organizational behavior, joined the provost’s office in 2007.  A native of eastern North Carolina, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.