MSSU News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2007
Dr. Steven Wagner
(417) 625-9587

Dr. Edward J. Perkins

JOPLIN, MO (SNS) - The Social Science Department at MSSU will host Dr. Edward J. Perkins at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2 in Webster Hall Auditorium at Missouri Southern State University.

The appearance by Dr. Perkins is the result of a Teaching American History Grant awarded to the Carthage R-IX School District which is working in partnership with MSSU.

Dr. Perkins enjoyed a long and distinguished diplomatic career. After holding a number of posts in the U.S. military and Foreign Service he was appointed Ambassador to Liberia in 1985. He then served as Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa from 1986-89.

In 1989 Ambassador Perkins was appointed as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel in the Department of State where he served from 1989-1992.

In 1992 he was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative in the UN Security Council, where he served from 1992-1993. Dr. Perkins served as the Clinton Administrations representative to the Commonwealth of Australia from 1993-1996.

On August 31, 1996, Dr. Perkins retired with the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service.

He is currently William J. Crowe Chair in Geopolitics and Executive Director of the International Programs Center at the University of Oklahoma.

He and Connie Cronley co-authored the book Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace. He has co-edited a number of books including: The Middle East Peace Process: Vision versus Reality (2002); Democracy, Morality, and the Search for Peace in Americas Foreign Policy (2002); Palestinian Refugees: Traditional Positions and New Solutions (2001); and Preparing America's Foreign Policy for the 21st Century (1999).

Dr. Perkins was born in Sterlington, La., and grew up in Portland, Ore. He earned a Bachelors Degree from the University of Maryland and Masters and Doctor of Public Administration degrees from the University of Southern California. He served three years in the U.S. Army and four years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

For more information contact Dr. Steven Wagner of the MSSU Social Science Department at (417) 625- 9587 or see:
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/P/Edward.J.Perkins-1/ and http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6369450.