Yesterday was the official announcement of the appointment of Dr. Brian Souders as interim director of International Education Services (IES), effective immediately. In his new position, Dr. Souders assumes responsibility for providing leadership for all the activities of IES and the daily management of its operations.

Dr. Souders is a proud UMBC alumnus with a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture. He holds a masters in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. in political science and Slavic languages and literature from Indiana University, Bloomington. He joined UMBC in 2000 as coordinator for Study Abroad and rose to associate director of International Education Services in 2009. He previously served as assistant director in the Study Abroad Office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Souders has provided outstanding leadership to UMBC’s Study Abroad Office and has played a critical role in the success of UMBC students being awarded Fulbright Scholarships at unprecedented numbers.

Dr. Souders was awarded the Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award for Outstanding Service in Student Support for 2014-2015. He has served as senator and secretary of the UMBC Professional Staff Senate and has been a member of the Council of University System Staff Executive Committee. He is very active in NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA), where he is currently a member of the executive board.

Dr. Souders speaks several foreign languages fluently and has had international education experiences in Estonia, Russia, and Finland.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Souders on this appointment and wishing him continued success in his new role.