Michael McFaul named the new Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies

To recognize his exceptional contributions to political science, FSI Director Michael McFaul has been named the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, effective June 14, 2018.

“As a scholar here at Stanford and in the policy realm in Washington, DC, Mike has shown exceptional leadership,” said Ann Arvin, Stanford University’s vice provost and dean of research.

As a Stanford student, McFaul was mentored by the original Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, Coit “Chip” Blacker. Following in his mentor’s footsteps, McFaul also split his time between Stanford and the White House.

McFaul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Stanford in 1986. After completing a PhD in international relations at Oxford University, he joined Stanford’s faculty in 1995 as an assistant professor in political science. In 2009, he lent his expertise in Russian affairs to the Obama administration, first as special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs at the National Security Council, then as U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2012 to 2014. He returned to Stanford as director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Peter and Helen Bing senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

“Mike’s distinction as a scholar of international affairs together with his experience as an ambassador to Moscow make him the perfect choice for this chair,” said Richard Saller, dean of Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, which oversees the political science department.

McFaul’s new appointment as chair was approved by the Stanford Advisory Board of the Academic Council and President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. It was made possible through the generosity of Kenneth E. Olivier and Angela Nomellini.

“Ken and Angela have been close partners in our success at FSI and in the work being done across Stanford,” said McFaul. “Their support for our initiatives, this chair, and the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellowship, now held by Francis Fukuyama, have been instrumental in supporting FSI’s research, teaching and policy. I am deeply honored to be named the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies.”

Olivier is a member of the Stanford Board of Trustees and the FSI Council. He graduated from Stanford in 1974 and is the former chairman and CEO of Dodge & Cox.

Nomellini is the former chair and a current member of the Stanford Graduate School of Education Advisory Council. She graduated from Stanford in 1975.