Coatsworth Appointed Dean of Columbia's SIPA

Columbia University has appointed John Coatsworth as the dean of its School of International and Public Affairs, the university announced yesterday.

Mr. Coatsworth, a former professor of history at Harvard University and the author of seven books on international history, has served as the school's interim dean since last year.

"This will be a critical period in the history of SIPA, especially as the School prepares to move into its own building in Manhattanville," Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, said in a letter to members of the Columbia community.

Mr. Coatsworth was part of a decision last fall to invite President Ahmadinejad of Iran to speak at Columbia. He fueled a debate over that invitation by saying Adolf Hitler would have been welcome at Columbia prior to 1945.