As a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state and board member for numerous diplomatic organizations, Carol Baumann built a network of professional relationships “that helped bring the world to Milwaukee,” according to a longtime colleague.
Baumann, a former professor of political science at UW–Madison and UW–Milwaukee, was tapped by the Carter Administration to serve as deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research in 1979.
At UW–Milwaukee, she was chair of the international relations major for 17 years and director of the Institute of World Affairs for 33 years. Baumann built the institute into one of the most accomplished of its kind while continuing to teach and inspire students to pursue careers in international affairs and global business. She was the first host of the institute’s television program, International Focus, which is still broadcast on Milwaukee public TV. Baumann also hosted the Dialogues with Diplomats banquet series, which brought ambassadors and other high-ranking officials from around the world, including Bill Clinton and Henry Kissinger.
In 1958 she ran for Congress in the 9th Congressional District. Her extensive professional affiliations included the Council on Foreign Relations, the Wisconsin Governor’s Commission on the United Nations, and the National Foreign Policy Association.
Baumann helped facilitate cross-participation in international programming between the Milwaukee and Madison campuses, and she helped to forge a connection between the European Union and the international studies programs at UW–Madison. She retired in 1995 as professor emerita. Baumann published a novel, Journeys of the Mind, based on her travels and career.
