November 10, 2004
Focus on international relations Professorship honors Frank L. Klingberg
CARBONDALE, Ill. - - Southern Illinois University Carbondale's political science department will soon feature a newly endowed professorship in international relations.
Shirley Clay Scott, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, today (Nov. 10) announced creation of the Frank L. Klingberg Endowed Professorship, honoring an accomplished, emeritus political scientist whose SIUC teaching career spanned three decades. During his tenure, his lifelong zeal for international studies inspired an entire generation of followers, Scott said in making the announcement.
Anonymous donors, including some of Klingberg's former students, are giving $250,000 to establish the position permanently, said Scott.
The award, which will travel within the department, will go to an accomplished, productive senior-level political scientist specializing in international relations or American foreign policy. The faculty member will hold the professorship for a three- to five-year period. A committee will select recipients, the first of whom will be named no later than fall 2006.
"The professorship allows us to honor Professor Klingberg, who served the department and its students as a teacher and scholar. And it will draw attention to an area of scholarship in which our political science department has particular strength," Scott said.
"It will also reward a faculty member's scholarly and teaching contributions and will carry significant resources to support their continued research," Scott added.
Professor Klingberg and his wife, Leota, who share a passion for politics and an interest in young people, will be the guests of honor at a special invitation-only reception at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the University's Stone Center.
Scott said this important endowment comes at a crucial point in America's history and could go a long way toward fostering better relations between nations.
"The Klingberg professorship highlights the critical importance of international relations and foreign policy. The faculty member chosen to occupy the position will be responsible for some service effort that promotes students' interest in these fields, which we believe may significantly spread its influence."
Developing citizen-leaders with a global perspective is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.
Professor Klingberg joined SIUC's government department in 1946. In his published research he proposed a now widely accepted theory - - dubbed the "Klingberg cycle" - - that demonstrates that U.S. foreign policy swings from periods of "introversion" to "extroversion."
On campus, he established and sponsored the Model United Nations student organization and was faculty adviser to the student International Relations Club. In addition, he belonged to the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, American Society of International law, Rotary International and the Southern Illinois chapter of the United Nations Association.
His former pupils include: Donald McHenry, former ambassador to the United Nations; and professors Jon Alexander, Gene Frankland, Richard Hartwig, Dorothy Rudoni, Michael Solliday, John Zigler and others who teach international relations at colleges and universities in this country and abroad.
Still others have gone into various forms of government work, including Camille Becker, who served for many years as an officer in the European community and Wayne Richey, who serves on the Iowa Universities Board of Directors.