David Orden has been named director for the Global Issues Initiative (GII) in the newly formed Institute for Society, Culture and Environment (ISCE) at Virginia Tech.

In his new position, Orden will provide leadership for research on the international trade regime including multilateral trade negotiations and the impact of these negotiations on economic prosperity, trade in goods and services, economic development, and the integration of developing countries into the global economy.

"I am excited about strengthening Virginia Tech's international programs through ISCE," said Orden, "The GII will include both a focus on these economic issues and other aspects of international relations affecting well-being and global security."

"I am very pleased to have David join ISCE," said Karen A Roberto, interim director of ISCE. "With this appointment, ISCE has taken the first step toward establishing a strong presence in the National Capital Region. David brings to ISCE a very successful research program on the economics and political economy of domestic support policies, international trade negotiations, and technical barriers to trade."

Orden, who joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1984, is a professor of agricultural and applied economics and has been a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) since 2003. He has been a Visiting Professor at Stanford University (1998-99), chairman of the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (1996 and 1997), and Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales in Australia (1990). His book "Policy Reform in American Agriculture: Analysis and Prognosis" (co-authored by Robert Paarlberg and Terry Roe) received the American Agricultural Economics Association Quality of Communication Award in August 2000.

A second book "Food Regulation and Trade: Toward a Safe and Open Global System" (co-authored with Timothy Josling and Donna Roberts) was published in March 2004 by the Institute for International Economics. Orden will continue to serve as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow for IFPRI, whose mission is to provide policy solutions that cut hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Virginia Tech and IFPRI have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further their collaborative efforts toward this goal through work on international trade and development.

"The appointment of Professor Orden and the formation of the Global Issues Initiative within ISCE represents a key step in establishing an international agenda with regard to one of the university's research priorities in Social and Individual Transformation," said Jerry Niles, chair of the stakeholders committee for ISCE and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. "It also adds to the increasing momentum of ISCE in extending its influence in supporting faculty research in this important area."

Institute for Society, Culture and Environment is tasked with strengthening the university's competitive position in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The primary programmatic focus of ISCE is centered on five concentrations:

  • global issues
  • human development and behavioral health
  • social complexity and individual risk
  • rhetoric, representation, and public humanities
  • community arts, built environments, and urban formations

Orden, a resident of Washington D.C., received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, a master's degree from Virginia Tech, and his bachelor's degree at Cornell University.

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