Previously, Hanson served as the chair of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economic and has served as interim dean of ISP for the last year.
Initially, there were 60 candidates — Hanson was not one of them.
Provost June Youatt said the search for an ISP dean ended after not finding the “right fit” for the position.
“When we couldn’t find a fit, I spoke to President (Lou Anna K.) Simon and then went to Dr. Hanson and expressed to him our confidence in him,” Youatt said.
In a memorandum sent to the deans, directors, chairs, faculty and academic staff on April 9, Youatt recommended Hanson.
Youatt said she became “convinced that Steve Hanson would make an outstanding ISP dean” after consulting the University Committee on International Studies and Programs.
Although many praised Hanson as a candidate, some raised concern about the lack of diversity with the position.
Youatt said racial, ethnic and gender diversity typically is a major factor to consider in the application process.
“The search committee took that (diversity on applicants) very seriously when they screened the 60 initial candidates,” Youatt said.
Maria Lapinski, the chair of the Advisory Consultative Committee for the Dean of International Studies, said Youatt asked for their feedback on the decision.
At first, Hanson expressed he was not interested in the position because he didn’t want to leave the agriculture department.
“He served on the dean search committee to help us find the next dean, having indicated that he was not interested in the position,” Youatt said in the memo.
Even when he was not a candidate, he said he considered the position after seeing the potential MSU has for international programs.
“Over the time people got convinced that I could do the job and I also saw the opportunities that we have here at MSU,” Hanson said.
He said he is excited for the next step.
“I will work with MSU leadership faculty to try to make a difference in the lives of our students and of people around the world,” Hanson said.
Youatt said she was confident in saying that Hanson’s designation was based on who was the best candidate.
“The pool was quite diverse. That we couldn’t find a better match than Steve is not about not having a diverse pool, it’s about selecting the best candidate,” Youatt said.
