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Contact: Jason Marton
jason.marton@tamuk.edu or 361-593-4143

Visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. John Minns to teach international political economy

KINGSVILLE (December 20, 2005) — Texas A&M University-Kingsville will host Dr. John Minns of Australian National University during the spring 2006 semester as part of the Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence program.

Minns will be teaching international political economy in the political science department.

The Worldwide Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program brings visiting scholars and professionals from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities for one semester or one academic year.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) helps administer the Fulbright Scholar Program on behalf of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“The Fulbright program is a marvelous opportunity for scholars to interact,” said Minns. “I’ve been at three universities in Australia and have gained something from the interaction with academics at each of them. Now, having the opportunity to do that with people in a different country for a full five months is very exciting indeed. I’m also looking forward to teaching at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.”

Minns studied history and politics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, where his Honours thesis was on world-systems theory and modern Mexico. He earned his doctorate at the same school, with a dissertation on the role of the state in the transformations of South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico.

After the University of New South Wales, Minns took up a lecturing position at the University of Wollongong, south of Sydney. After seven years teaching politics, international relations and political economy, Minns went to the Australian National University (ANU) in Australia’s capital city of Canberra. He now serves as convenor of international relations there and teaches subjects on international political economy and the politics of development.

“It’s very difficult for a university to receive a Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence,” said Dr. Sonny Davis, interim director of international studies & programs. “I see Dr. Minns coming here as a real feather in the cap of our university.”

Davis has high hopes for Minns and what can come of having him at A&M-Kingsville. The greatest is that the students will get a broader view of the world. He also hopes that Minns will be able to take back some positive experiences of his time here in America that will help to correct some misconceptions Australians may have of our country.

Davis offers much of the credit for securing the Scholar-In-Residence grant to the work of Dr. Nirmal Goswami, professor of political science.

Goswami echoes many of Davis’ sentiments regarding Minns, saying, “It brings an international element to our university from an area of the world, Asia Pacific, which we don’t frequently analyze.”

According to Goswami, this is the first time A&M-Kingsville has received a Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence grant.

Apart from a stopover on the way to Mexico, this will be Minns’ first time in Texas.

“I must say that already we – my family and I – have been overwhelmed by the hospitality that Nirmal Goswami and others have extended in getting things ready for us,” said Minns. “The only problem is that I can’t imagine what I could possibly do at Texas A&M-Kingsville to justify all of those efforts, let alone repay the goodwill.”

This page last updated 17 January, 2006