Dear Adelphi Community,
The Bhisé Global Understanding Project (BGUP) was founded at Adelphi University in 2023 through the generosity of Bharat Bhisé, MBA ’78, with a multidisciplinary vision to explore critical issues in our world and educate students to become globally minded thinkers and leaders. Among its activities, this initiative has taken two groups of Adelphi students on an immersive study tour of India through the Bhisé Global Learning Experience, sponsored BGUP Faculty Fellows and faculty research grants, and brought renowned speakers to our Garden City campus.
Now, with the launch of the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding, I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Holger W. Henke, PhD, as its founding director.
In this role, Dr. Henke will bring strategic leadership to the establishment of a permanent and sustainable infrastructure that furthers the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding’s mission to expand global thought and leadership at Adelphi. He will implement the Center’s vision, support its research agenda, partner with academic units on course offerings, build awareness across our campus, and endeavor to bring international recognition to the Center and University.
Dr. Henke most recently served as director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies at The University of the West Indies (Mona). Prior to this assignment, he was vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost of Wenzhou-Kean University in Wenzhou, China, a jointly established Chinese American higher education institution, where he managed academic affairs including implementation of its American curriculum, the hiring and reappointment of faculty, academic program reviews and the development of new programs and academic standards. Previously, he was assistant provost at CUNY’s York College and held faculty and research fellow positions at institutions including the Caribbean Research Center at CUNY’s Medgar Evers College and the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
Dr. Henke earned a doctorate from The University of the West Indies, where his research focused on foreign policy and dependency in government administrations in Jamaica, and a master’s degree from the University of Munich, where he studied the Caribbean as a sphere of interest of the United States. He is a well-published author with expertise ranging from international relations and migration to comparative politics and the African diaspora.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Henke to our community—whether you are a student or member of our faculty or staff, I encourage you to seek out ways to collaborate together toward shared interests and goals. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of Dr. Henke’s global perspectives and experience on the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding and Adelphi University.
Sincerely,
Christopher Storm, PhD
Provost and Executive Vice President