UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Michael Adewumi, a Penn Stater for over 30 years, has been granted “emeritus” status by University President Eric Barron.
Adewumi has been a faculty member in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences since the mid-1980s, and in 2007 became vice provost for Global Programs.
Adewumi retired from the University on Dec. 31, 2018, and on Jan. 2 he assumed a leadership position as executive vice president for academic affairs with IES, a major international education firm in Chicago.
“I am very honored and grateful about this bestowment and very proud of my association with Penn State for more than three decades,” Adewumi said.
Adewumi can now claim the titles “vice provost emeritus for Global Programs” and “professor emeritus of petroleum and natural gas engineering.”
"This status will help me to maintain my connection with Penn State in an enduring manner,” Adewumi said.
His tenure as vice provost for Global Programs saw the office grow exponentially, as the number of international students on Penn State campuses increased tenfold from 2007 to 2018, and the number of students studying abroad increased 30 percent. The office also handles a growing portfolio of international partnerships and strategic initiatives.
Professor Rob Crane in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences took over as interim vice provost for Global Programs while a search is underway for Adewumi’s successor.
Though he has switched positions, said Adewumi, he remains a Penn Stater for life.