International Studies Faculty

Dr. ‘Dimeji Togunde serves as the vice provost for global education and professor of international studies at Spelman College. His roles include providing leadership for the design and implementation of the College’s Strategic Planning on campus internationalization (2017-2022) and the institutionalization of the recently concluded and successful Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP 2016), also known as Spelman Going Global!, which is the centerpiece of the College’s reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (.SACSCOC).

In his capacity as the College’s chief international officer, Dr. Togunde provides guidance and direction for all of the College’s global initiatives. As the focal point of contact for information about Spelman’s global activities, he is responsible for building/strengthening strategic international partnership engagements aimed at enhancing student international exchanges, faculty and students’ research, and students’ global learning experiences. Reporting directly to the Provost, he oversees the Office of Semester Study Abroad, Cultural Orientation program, G-STEM Program, Asian Studies Program, International Affairs Center, International Student Services and Programming, and all study abroad programs directed by faculty and staff. Dr. Togunde also leads the assessment of the College’s internationalization initiatives and collaborates with academic departments to encourage greater awareness of and involvement with the realities of globalization.

With more than two decades of leadership experience in the development and implementation of strategic planning on campus internationalization, Professor Togunde’s internationalization philosophy is anchored on shared vision and building consensus. He recognizes that it is imperative for students and faculty to be knowledgeable about global issues and to acquire the skills they will need to navigate the diverse global cultural landscapes so they can function effectively as global leaders.

Dr. Togunde’s leadership success has produced reputational gains for Spelman College. For instance, the National Association of International Educators (NAFSA) honored Spelman with the 2017 Senator Paul Simon Award for engagement in internationalization. Most recently, at the 2018 Diversity Abroad’s Annual Conference in Miami, Dr. Togunde received the Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (Organizational Level) on behalf of Spelman College.

Prior to joining Spelman College in August 2011, Dr. Togunde spent 15 years at Albion College in Michigan, where he held the John S. Ludington Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences as professor of sociology and served as chair of the Department of Anthropology/Sociology. He also served as director of Ethnic Studies Program; director of faculty-led program on immigration to El Paso and Ciudad-Juarez, Mexico; and chair of global studies curriculum.  As an experienced reviewer and consultant on study abroad/international initiatives, Dr. Togunde routinely presents papers at many international education conferences, including Forum on Study Abroad, NAFSA, Diversity Abroad and AIEA. Currently, he sits on the Advisory Board of Diversity Abroad; Global Studies Research Network; Arcadia University College of Global Studies Guild; IFSA-Butler Executive Committee Advisory Abroad and Diversity & Democracy, a publication of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). Professor Togunde received both his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in demography and social statistics from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, and a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University.

Recent Publications on Internationalization

Togunde, D; Lewis, A. and Fall, R. (2021). “Practical Ways to Decolonizing Education Studies Majors and Global Learning at Spelman College”. In Colon, C., Gristwood, A. and Woolf, M. (Eds.), In Empires of the Mind? (Post)colonialism and Decolonizing Education Abroad. Chicago, IL: CAPA: The Global Education Network Occasional publication No 9.

Charles, H. and Togunde, D. (2020). “HBCUs, Internationalization and Re-envisioning the Post Pandemic Institutional Landscape” In International Educator (NAFSA: Association of International Educators, December 2020 Edition 1.

Togunde, D., Crosby Brown, D., Phillips Lewis, K. & Fall, R. (2019). "Curricular model for facilitating intercultural competence development for student learning abroad at Spelman College." Published by Diversity Abroad Network September 12, 2019. 

Togunde, D., & Fall, R. (2019) "Success in Campus Internationalization at Spelman College: Lessons for Other Institutions." In Colon, C., Gristwood, A. and Woolf, M. (Eds.), Borders, Mobility, and Migration, (pp. 169-181). Chicago, IL: CAPA: The Global Education Network Occasional publication No 8.

“Spelman Going Global: Developing intercultural Competence through International travel Experience” (with Rokhaya Fall) in Intercultural Competence in Higher Education: International Approaches, Assessment and Application, edited by Darla Deardorff and Lily Arasaratnam-Smith; Rutledge (2017).

Enhancing Global Research and Education (G-STEM) at Spelman College" in STEM and Social Justice: Teaching and Learning in Diverse Settings, A Global Perspective, edited by Cheryl B. Leggon and Michael S. Gaines; SPRINGER (2017). 

“The Spelman Model for Enhancing Global research in STEM Disciplines” (with Kai McCormack et al;) in IMPACT (Arcadia University Experience Abroad) 2015.

Other Publications:

“No Sweet in Sex”: Perceptions of Condom Usefulness among Elderly Yoruba People in Ibadan Nigeria” (with Ojo Melvin Agunbiade). Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. August 20, 2018. 

"Nigerian Children recount the challenges they face working in a city.” THE CONVERSATION. July 18, 2018