Wendy Schiller, interim director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, is stepping down from her leadership positions on June 30.
After taking a year-long sabbatical, Schiller, who is also a professor of political science, will return to Brown in fall 2026 to teach and advise students.
Schiller has held leadership positions at Brown for the past decade, chairing the Department of Political Science for six years before serving as the director of the Taubman Center for the subsequent four years.
Since July 2024, she has also led the Watson Institute, which will be converted into the Watson School of International and Public Affairs this coming July 1. John Friedman, professor of economics and international and public affairs, will serve as the school’s inaugural dean.
In an interview with The Herald, Schiller said that through each of these roles, she has gained appreciation for her “faculty colleagues, the students, the graduate students, the administration — everything that comprises Brown and how complex it is.”
As director of the Taubman Center, Schiller worked to reorient the center toward supporting undergraduates.
“I wanted to reinvigorate the student dialogue on American politics,” she said.
Under her leadership, the center funded undergraduate research that students could complete independently of faculty, expanded internship funding and focused on bringing speakers to the University.
Kathryn Dunkelman, chief of staff and director of strategic operations and engagement at the Watson Institute, added that Schiller “elevated the (Taubman) Center’s role as the hub for American politics on campus, building a community of students engaged in the issues and offering research opportunities to connect policy and theory.”
One of Schiller’s proudest accomplishments is the “Politics and Policy Lunches,” which are open to all Brown students and held every Monday. Through the program, academics and policymakers come to campus to share their experiences in and thoughts on the American political system.
The lunches, like other events hosted by the Taubman Center, aim to “expose undergraduates to lots of different people with lots of different voices at different stages of their career,” Schiller explained.
For Everton Prospere ’27, the lunches are his “highlight of the week.”
On days when no outside speakers are scheduled, Schiller hosts the lunch herself.
“It’s been great to have a place where students who are interested in politics and policy in America can come on the Brown campus,” she said.
Given the Trump administration’s second term and recent changes to the political landscape, “I think now’s the time you really want to preserve that kind of connection and that space for Brown students,” Schiller added, noting that she is trying to ensure the lunches continue even after her tenure as the center’s director ends.
Prospere, who has known Schiller since his first semester at Brown, described her as “the most knowledgeable professor I have interacted with in regard to American politics.”
Prospere praised Schiller’s ability to digest and interpret political information as “quite remarkable.”
Dunkelman described Schiller as deeply committed to serving students at Brown.
“Even during the last year, when pulled in so many directions, she would meet individually with students, mentoring them, providing research opportunities and ensuring they are thriving in her classes and across Watson,” Dunkelman wrote in an email to The Herald.
As interim director of the Watson Institute, Schiller aimed to prepare the institute for its upcoming transition to a school, she said.
Changes to the Watson Institute under her tenure included increased “consistency across opportunities” to ensure that students not concentrating in international and public affairs could take classes and attend lectures that are usually primarily targeted to IAPA concentrators.
Schiller also oversaw the creation of the Watson Institute Ph.D. Fellows Program, which provides training and research opportunities for select students pursuing doctorate degrees in the social sciences at Brown. The program, Schiller said, encompasses a broad range of topics including security, governance and development.
Andrew Schrank, professor of sociology and international and public affairs, explained that Schiller “rationalized the budget and staffing and created new avenues for faculty and student engagement” during her time as interim director of the Watson Institute.
Schiller’s accomplishments are made more impressive by the fact that they came at a “particularly difficult moment in (United States) and international politics,” Schrank wrote in an email to The Herald.
“I really can’t think of a more difficult time in which to have done this job,” Schrank added.
Daniel Smith, professor of international studies and director of the Africa Initiative at the Watson Institute, added that Schiller is “committed to the collective good.”
According to Smith, Schiller’s efforts at the Watson Institute created “a place where scholars and students engage in research, teaching and learning with the goal of understanding and addressing some of the biggest challenges of our times, not just in the United States but also around the world.”
After she steps down from her director positions, Schiller will take a year-long sabbatical to continue her research on American policy surrounding domestic violence, particularly in relation to gun violence.
“If we can continue to draw attention of political science and public policy to the impact of laws that are either passed or should be passed, I feel like you can make some progress,” Schiller said.
Once she returns from her sabbatical, Schiller will return to what she described as “the world’s greatest academic job”: being a professor and advising students.
Looking to the future, Schiller has “high hopes” for both the Taubman Center and the School of International and Public Affairs.
Eric Patashnik, a professor of public policy and political science, will serve as the director of the Taubman Center following Schiller’s departure. Schiller described Patashnik as an “expert in policy implementation” who will “bring faculty research back to Taubman,” adding that she hopes he will preserve the student-oriented activities currently in place.
She also described John Friedman, incoming dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, as energetic and committed to the Master of Public Affairs program.
“My hope is that he preserves all that is great about Watson now and then makes it only better,” Schiller said.
Samah Hamid is a senior staff writer at the Herald. She is from Sharon, Massachusetts and plans to concentrate in Biology. In her free time, you can find her taking a nap, reading, or baking a sweet treat.
