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Peter A. Wollitzer was Regional Director for Asia and Africa of the University of California Education Abroad Program. Before joining EAP in 1986, he was Assistant Director of UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies. Earlier in his career, he also served as Program Officer with the Institute of European Studies (IES) in Chicago. Peter earned his doctorate at The Pennsylvania State University in Higher Education/International Studies and his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Berkeley respectively.
Peter served on many international task forces and boards, most recently being elected to the Advisory Council of The Forum on Education Abroad and serving as its first Chair (2002-2005). During his three-year term, he organized the Council’s governance procedures and structures as well as its major activities which included the widely hailed project on Standards of Good Practice, two student research competitions, a national survey on curriculum integration and two conferences. All of these projects took place while Peter was being treated for the brain cancer that ultimately took his life. Peter was also a member of the CIEE Academic Consortium Board. He wrote and presented on a wide range of subjects related to international and higher education in Europe and Asia.
Peter was an outspoken and untiring international educator who believed in programs that give access to all qualified student to different sources of knowledge available worldwide, to special pedagogical methods and field study opportunities, and, of course, to widely varying cultural, social, political, and economic environments. He was skilled in working with faculty and administrators abroad and extremely creative in designing new programs between UC and partner institutions, believing that collaborative relationships could assume new dimensions when focusing on academic integrity and high standards.
Peter was a capable international education professional and an engaging person. Peter was thoughtful and kind to others, and always encouraged, trusted and supported international education professionals who were new to the field. His leisure interests included music, photography, poetry, astronomy, and exploring Santa Ynez Valley wine country. His mantra was Martin Luther King's quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
This abbreviated biography reflects the intellectual and exciting nature of his persona and his ability to reach out to those around him and to show his pride and deep commitment, belief, and dedication to international education. Those of us who had the pleasure of working with Peter admired his courage and his dignity when facing his disease. He will continue to be a force and an inspiration to many in the field of international education in the days to come. The Forum’s Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award will ensure that his name and his legacy live on in perpetuity.
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