Ian Magnuson

Ian Magnuson rejoined the Haenicke Institute for Global Education in 2022. A Michigan native, Ian attended Western Michigan University where he double-majored in German and Global and International Studies. Ian was very active on campus where he worked in the study abroad office, served as a resident assistant, co-founded the German Club at WMU and Western Model United Nations, and participated in Swim Club. For his first venture outside of the United States, Ian studied abroad for six months in Bonn, Germany, where he participated in an international Model United Nations simulation. After graduating, he served as an English Teaching Assistant in Leipzig, Germany for the Fulbright Program. He then attended Michigan State University and received a Master of Public Policy focused on local action on the climate crisis. His interest in climate change sprouted from seeing the abundance of wind turbines and solar panels deployed all across Germany, which has a very similar climate to Michigan. While abroad both times, Ian travelled to roughly 20 countries in Europe.

Ian is currently an executive board member of the West and Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Fulbright Association, the vice-chair of the City of Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee, and is involved in a number of local volunteer initiatives. He lives in Kalamazoo with his partner and their cats, Hobbes and Chow Mein. He is an active weightlifter, runner, and competitive swimmer, and enjoys video games and making pizza from scratch.