BYU International Vice President Sandra Rogers announced today the appointment of V. Stanley Benfell as the new director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and associate international vice president effective August 1.
He has spent the last three years as an associate director of the Kennedy Center and will replace Renata Forste, who will become the next international vice president as previously announced.
“Stan has provided exceptional leadership over research and academic programs in the Kennedy Center,” Forste said. “He is a passionate scholar and teacher and has strong leadership and administrative experience. We are very fortunate to have Stan’s wisdom and appreciate his dedication to international and interdisciplinary programs at BYU.”
Benfell began his tenure at BYU in 1993. He has worked as a professor and department chair, coordinator of the European studies program and has helped direct study abroad programs. His academic work has focused on European literature of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.
He completed his undergraduate work at BYU before attending New York University where he earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature.