Staff
Charles L. Nieman, PhD
Associate Director
Office of International Services
708 William Pitt Union
412-624-0235*
Fax: 412-624-7105
cnieman@pitt.edu
* For appointments, please call the OIS Receptionist at 412-624-7120.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Charles L. Nieman is the Associate Director of the Office of International Services (OIS). In this position he works closely with the Director to oversee all aspects of OIS operations, including but not limited to the following:
- Represents the Director and acts in full capacity as the Director in the Director's absence;
- Represents OIS internally to various academic and administrative units, and externally to various local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as other educational institutions and organizations.
- Responsible for managing and overseeing the day-to-day operational level processes and procedures of the office;
- Responsible for
independently researching, proposing and implementing office-wide
policies and procedures; - Responsible for providing senior leadership and oversight of all compliance-related and quality control-related processes, procedures, policies, systems, and initiatives for the office;
- Functions as Designated School Official (DSO) and Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO), duly recognized by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Department of State (DOS);
- Provides senior
leadership and oversight in the area of public relations (i.e., internal
and external outreach, branding of OIS programs, messaging, customer service issues, etc.); - Works closely with the Director in all strategic planning and budgeting matters related to the office.
- Processes and manages a portfolio of immigration casework (see below for portfolio).
To view a chart listing all school assignments for all Immigration Specialists in OIS, see our OIS Immigration Services School/Department Assignments chart, which has been updated with new assignments.
SPECIAL NOTE: Charles is also the primary signatory for all immigration petitions processed through outside legal counsel, regardless of the Pitt school/department affiliation. Any casework involving outside counsel must be coordinated through Charles. Also, please be aware that any such petitions involving outside counsel must be approved by OIS, in consultation with the Office of General Counsel, prior to any department retaining the services of an outside attorney. OIS works very closely with OGC on these matters in order to ensure compliance with University Policy 01-05-01.
Biography
As is quite frequent in the profession, Charles’ path as an international educator is non-linear. Growing up in New Mexico, his early passion was for Anthropology and Art History, but his plans for graduate studies were interrupted by the U.S. Army, which took him far away from home and became a driving force in his life for almost 23 years. During that time his duties posted him throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, giving him a wide variety of experiences in unit leadership, strategic planning, protocol, and diplomatic and humanitarian operations. These were also years filled with the excitement and adventures of raising three active sons in Germany and helping them enjoy the great pleasures of a multi-cultural environment.
Charles and his family returned to the United States in 1991 with an assignment as Professor of Military Science at Kent State University. Those three years were filled with life transitions as his wife, Rita, resumed full-time teaching (German) at the high school level, his two older boys entered college, his youngest son passed through elementary and middle school, and he left the military and entered doctoral studies in education. Then in 1995, completely unforeseen, he was offered an interim position as Director of International Student Affairs, which quickly became permanent and turned out to facilitate a wonderful synergy among personal passion, prior experience, research, and practice. Now, he is very pleased to continue to experience that synergy with the International Services team at Pitt.
Charles has taught advanced leadership in the Executive MBA Program and applied international education in the Higher Education Program at Kent State University. He has also taught and led graduate study trips in international business to a variety of destinations in Western and Eastern Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East. He has served on several dissertation committees involving cross-cultural issues.
He remains professionally active in NAFSA: Association of International Educators, completing to include a 3.5 year rotation through the chair stream in Region VI. He is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national venues on the topics of immigration, academic freedom, and international services.
Charles’ hobbies include international travel, hiking, antique restoration, and baking.
Education
- Ph.D. Educational Administration, 1999
Kent State University
Major concentration in international issues, dimensions, and program administration
Dissertation: “Web-based evaluation of overall international student satisfaction: The case of Kent State University”
- Diploma, Armed Forces Staff College, National Defense University, 1988
Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia
Graduate-level study in strategic planning and in multi-national, multi-agency, and multi-service operations
- Diploma, Foreign Area Officer Course, US Army, 1983
Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
Graduate-level study in theoretical and applied international relations; in-depth regional studies
- Master of Arts in Public Administration, 1977
University of New Mexico
Major emphasis in international comparative studies
- Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 1971
University of New Mexico
Major: Anthropology; minor: Art History