Nojin Kwak, Ph.D., immigrated to the USA from Korea, earning a Master’s in Journalism and Communication from the University of Madison-Wisconsin in 1993. He went on to attain a Ph.D. in Mass Communication in 2001 and became a naturalized citizen in 2013.

Dr. Kwak joined the University at Buffalo in August of 2021 as Vice Provost for International Education and Professor in the Department of Communication. As Vice Provost, Dr. Kwak serves as UB’s senior international officer, responsible for leading central international research and academic programs and services, and for working with UB stakeholders and partners around the world to advance the university’s mission. Dr. Kwak oversees all student services for international students; study abroad and exchange programs; overseas academic programs and partnerships; immigration services for foreign-national employees and for visiting scholars from overseas; and UB-SIM branch campus in Singapore.

He liaises with overseas partner institutions, international delegations, international education organizations, and federal agencies involved in global education and exchange. Additionally, he partners with deans and faculty members to support the internationalization of university curricula, the growth of international research, and the expansion of education abroad opportunities.

Previously, from 2000 to 2021, Dr. Kwak served as assistant/associate/full professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Dr. Kwak served as Chair of the Department of Communication and Media (2016-2021) and Director of the Nam Center for Korean studies (2009-2021). As the chair, he led an interdisciplinary department, with social scientists and humanists working alongside each other, to study communication and media.