Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, charter president of Georgia Gwinnett College will give the keynote address at the ITE 2012 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Atlanta, GA on Monday, August 13.
Dr. Kaufman's Biography
Georgia Gwinnett College, located in Lawrenceville, is the first new 4-year college in Georgia in over 100 years. The college admitted its first students in August 2006 and its first freshman class in August 2007. The mission of GGC is to provide baccalaureate level degrees that contribute to the economic development needs of Gwinnett County and the surrounding region. The programs at GGC emphasize the innovative use of educational technology and an integrated educational experience that emphasizes student intellectual, social and personal development. Georgia Gwinnett College is now fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, with more than 8,000 students pursuing 40 fields of study.
In addition to his duties at the college, Dr. Kaufman is Vice Chair of the Georgia Gwinnett College Foundation. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Partnership Gwinnett Steering Committee, a member of the Board of Directors of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville.
Prior to assuming his duties as president of Georgia Gwinnett College, Dr. Kaufman was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army, serving as Dean of the Academic Board and Chief Academic Officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a position from which he retired in June 2005. In his capacity as the chief academic officer, Dr. Kaufman was responsible for the design and implementation of the academic program at West Point. Prior to his selection as chief academic officer, Brigadier General Kaufman was Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences, which offers programs in political science and economics. Prior to being named Department Head, General Kaufman was director of the International Relations and National Security Studies program at West Point. He has taught courses in international relations, comparative politics, national security affairs, U.S. foreign policy, and American politics and government. He has written several books, the most recent being Understanding International Relations. His other books include U.S. National Security Strategy for the 1990s; U.S. National Security: A Framework for Analysis; Democracy, Strategy, and Vietnam; and NATO at Forty: Change, Continuity, and Prospects.
Dr. Kaufman graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1968; he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. Dr. Kaufman also holds a Masters of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Studies Association, and the American Political Science Association. Upon his retirement from active duty, Dr. Kaufman was honored by the British government as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honorary Society.
Dr. Kaufman’s military service includes tours with cavalry and armor units in the United States and Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star for heroism and two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during combat. He also has served as a member of the National Security Council staff in the White House and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He served as a Special Assistant to three Chiefs of Staff of the Army. He also was a member of the Department of Defense Presidential Transition Team in 1992. Brigadier General Kaufman also was engaged extensively in the development of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, which opened in Kabul in April 2005.
He and his wife, Kathryn, are both natives of Brunswick, Georgia. They have two children, daughter Emily and son David, two granddaughters, Emma and Katie, and one grandson, Connor.