Meredith McQuaid ’91 consistently forged new ground during more than 30 years at Minnesota Law and the University of Minnesota. She worked vigorously to open the University and Law School’s doors to the world and helped both entities enhance their reputation as innovators in international education. Last March, McQuaid stepped down from her senior leadership position as the University’s associate vice president and dean of international programs. 

McQuaid was often the first person to take on a role and mold it into a force for expanding the University’s global reach. From the classroom to scholarship, she established numerous programs that paved the way for the Law School and the University to internationalize its offerings. She built off her experiences as a linguistics major, who joined the University’s first study abroad program to China, to champion and broaden Minnesota Law and the U’s international opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. 

“Meredith McQuaid is a household name for everyone who works in international education,” says Kara Galvin, director of international and graduate programs at Minnesota Law. “She’s really well known and highly respected. She is one of the people who made the international programs at the Law School more visible and shaped them into what they are today.” 

Expanding Minnesota Law’s Global Reach 

After teaching English in Japan, McQuaid spent her early career as an immigration lawyer in Minneapolis. She joined Minnesota Law in 1994 as director of international and graduate programs, overseeing some of the areas in which she had worked as a law student. She also quickly added the role of assistant dean of students. When McQuaid moved to University-wide leadership, it took two people to fill her sizable shoes. 

McQuaid worked at Minnesota Law for 14 years, bringing a fresh vision to many aspects of its operations. She transformed the LLM program from a one-off opportunity for individual lawyers to a robust annual program for 30-40 attorneys from around the world. Her novel summer program, Introduction to American Law, helps LLM students acclimate to the United States and get steeped in its legal history and culture. 

McQuaid also initiated the Structured Study Group (SSG) program for first-year law students. A ground-breaking program in legal education, SSGs provide training and resources to help students adjust to law school, as well as receive advice and gain confidence in their studies from 2L and 3L instructors.

This type of innovation is classic McQuaid, says former Lieutenant Governor Marlene Johnson, who was CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators while McQuaid chaired its board from 2010-2012. “Meredith is a risk-taker, she’s a visionary, and she’s very interested in trying new things,” Johnson says. “She’s full of enthusiasm and optimism and problem-solving. She doesn’t get stuck in a problem—she keeps moving things along.” 

Erin Keyes ’00, who served as Minnesota Law’s assistant dean of students from 2004-2022, first encountered McQuaid as a law student. Keyes was immediately taken with her no-nonsense yet energetic style, delightful sense of humor, expertise, and confidence that propelled her ability to make things happen. Keyes took over the student affairs role from McQuaid and learned plenty from her predecessor. 

“Meredith is someone who has earned and is valued for being at the table when big decisions are being made,” Keyes says. “She brings her full intelligence and judgement to the conversation. And she’s not afraid to act. She never balks at a challenge.” 

Serving the Wider U (and the Wide World)

McQuaid tackled an even bigger challenge in 2007 when she became the first associate vice president and dean of international programs. Though she was initially reluctant to take the job, McQuaid soon realized how much opportunity there was for her to shape the University’s approach to international education on its five campuses. 

Her list of accomplishments is long, including opening the University’s first office abroad (in Beijing) and launching the Strategic Partnership and Research Collaborative to foster working connections across disciplines and borders. She developed the U’s International Programs Council, focused resources on mental health in study abroad, and recently kicked offa University-wide initiative linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. McQuaid also cultivated partnerships around the world—serving as a University of Minnesota ambassador wherever she went—and applied her talents to the international education sector.

Thanks to McQuaid’s leadership, the University received several prominent awards, including NAFSA’s 2009 Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. It also earned the 2016 Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research, and Engagement from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, which honors institutions and their leaders that excel in global engagement, research, and learning.

In all of her work, McQuaid sought to build connections between people to make immigrants, guest faculty, and exchange students feel welcome. “My role is to promote international engagement to everyone, from the president to all levels of staff, across all campuses and colleges,” McQuaid says. “It’s just the coolest job. I have always been proud and grateful to do this work.

“The University recognizes now more than ever that providing an international opportunity to every student, wherever they are born, is part of higher education,” she adds. “Not everyone is going to get on a plane, so what can we do on campus that triggers curiosity and enthusiasm about the rest of the world?” 

‘Success and Results in a Positive Way’

Though Minnesota is sometimes considered “fly-over country,” it has an excellent reputation as a hub of international education, research, and outreach, says Tim Wolf, director of international development atthe University of Minnesota Foundation. Much of the credit goes to McQuaid. “She has been successful in elevating the University’s international profile and leading efforts on internationalization across the system andthen down into the units,” Wolf adds. “Meredith has offered a consistent leadership presence, combined with her passion, that gets you success and results in a positive way.”

Through McQuaid’s work, the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Law have enriched the experiences of their constituents by welcoming international students and faculty and sharing their students and faculty with the world. The benefits are long-lasting when people gain experiences and connections with others from different cultures. Deeper understanding and new knowledge area proud legacy of McQuaid’s three-decade commitment to Minnesota.