Richard Michael Paige, associate professor emeritus of international and intercultural education, passed away on November 9 at the age of 75. Paige co-founded the innovative and ground-breaking comparative and international development education master’s and PhD programs in CEHD.

Paige was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up in Los Angeles. After college, he served in the Peace Corps and worked as a Peace Corps trainer in Hawaii. He went on to receive a master’s and PhD from Stanford University before joining the University faculty in 1977. He first served as associate director of the international student adviser’s office and played a critical role in shaping what became International Student and Scholar Services.

Paige excelled at research and training. He contributed to several of the most renowned research studies on study abroad outcomes, including the landmark Study Abroad for Global Engagement (SAGE). His leadership was central to development of the Maximizing Study Abroad series of books and materials used around the world, which emphasize the role of intercultural and language learning in study abroad.

Over the years, Paige served as a gregarious adviser, colleague, and friend to many in the field of international and intercultural education. He was an instructor for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) qualifying seminar, advised many graduate students in CEHD’s Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, and worked with colleagues around the world to advance the field. In 2017, Paige received the University’s Award for Global Engagement: Distinguished Global Professor.

Paige is survived by his wife, Barbara King of Dallas, his brother Steven in California, and many more relatives and friends around the world. Services were held in Pennsylvania on February 22, and a celebration of his life for the Twin Cities community was held Sunday, March 31, 2019, in St. Paul.

His full obituary was published February 20.

Last update April 12, 2019.