Martha L. Merritt

Dean and the Carole M. Weinstein Chair of International Education

As a scholar of Russian politics who has lived and taught in five countries, Martha Merritt seeks to facilitate sustained cross-cultural community for the University of Richmond. She works with faculty, staff and students to deepen and extend UR’s strong web of partnerships abroad, including multi-faceted engagement with key locations.

Since joining the UR community in 2015, Merritt founded the EnCompass program to provide international experience for non-traditional students. She also extended International Education Week to a campus-wide focus on another culture. The Institute for International Education recognized EnCompass with a Heiskell Award for increasing access to study abroad, and the AIEA presented its Innovation Award to UR for the revised IE Week, both in 2022. Nearly 70% of UR undergraduates have international experience before graduation.

Merritt worked at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame before coming to Richmond. She established programs, internships and long-term partnerships abroad, as well as overseeing Chicago’s Center in Paris. Her goals for international education include integrating local and global learning on challenges such as sustainability, facilitating meaningful engagement with other cultures, and empowering international students as vital community members.