Vrachnos appointed vice provost for international affairs and operations

By Daniel Day, Office of Communications on Jan. 28, 2015, 2 p.m.
Anastasia Vrachnos

Anastasia Vrachnos

Photo courtesy of Yale-NUS College

Anastasia Vrachnos, dean of international and professional experience for Yale-NUS College in Singapore and former executive director of Princeton in Asia, has been appointed vice provost for international affairs and operations at Princeton University.

Vrachnos, a 1991 graduate of Princeton, will lead the development and administration of partnerships, policies and programs that advance the international scope of Princeton's research and teaching, and enhance the University's global connections. She will report to  Provost David S. Lee, effective April 1.

"I am thrilled that we were able to recruit Anastasia Vrachnos to this important position," Lee said. "She knows Princeton well both as an alumna and as a past director of Princeton in Asia, and she brings energy, experience and commitment to the goal of internationalizing the education we offer at Princeton.

"Anastasia will be a first-class addition to Princeton's internationalization efforts. Her combination of passion, experience, talent and commitment to this University will make her a potent force in achieving our goals in this area. We are proud to welcome her back in this new role."

Vrachnos will oversee the Davis International Center; provide administrative oversight for the Princeton China Center and the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya; and serve on the Council for International Teaching and Research. She will collaborate closely with the Office of International Programs, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, the Center for Language Study and other campus entities engaged in creating international opportunities for Princeton University students and faculty.

"I am delighted to help advance the international dimensions of the University's research and teaching mission and contribute to Princeton's network of international partnerships," said Vrachnos. "Such collaborations are vital to robust scholarship and make our campus fertile territory for global outlooks to flourish. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to contribute to issues that I am so passionate about at an institution that means so much to me."

In 2004, Vrachnos became executive director of the Princeton in Asia (PiA) program, which was founded in 1898. PiA promotes international understanding and mutual appreciation between East and West by sponsoring service-oriented internships and fellowships in Asia in immersive environments. 

During her tenure, Vrachnos led PiA's dynamic expansion, tripling its participants, doubling the endowment and introducing programming in 12 additional countries. She also oversaw the launch of an innovative international internship program in China (Summer of Service) and served on the University's Bridge Year Program working group.

In late 2012, Vrachnos became the first dean of international and professional experience at Yale-NUS, a liberal arts college founded by Yale University and the National University of Singapore. Her responsibilities have included collaborating with faculty to shape, implement and assess international programming, as well as designing a global portfolio of academic, research and professional opportunities to enhance students' education, international awareness, leadership skills and career development.

Vrachnos has a master's degree in secondary school education from Mercy College and draws on a wide range of professional experience in the fields of education, finance, journalism and international development. She taught middle school in the Bronx, New York, and served as a PiA fellow and English instructor at Atma Jaya University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She worked as an investment banker for Morgan Stanley in New York and in Singapore and as a photojournalist and media-trainer documenting Indonesia's transition to democracy and Timor-Leste's road to independence. Her award-winning images have been featured in The New York Times, Asiaweek, Businessweek, CNN, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Newsweek and Time. 

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