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Second chance
Political science's James McCormick will tour the Philippines as
a Fulbright Scholar discussing American foreign policy.
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Just over a year ago, James McCormick, professor and chair of the Department
of Political Science, received an invitation as a former Fulbright Scholar.
The organization that runs the Fulbright Program, whose purpose is to
build mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and
the rest of the world, had something new and different.
"They had begun the Fulbright Specialist Program," McCormick
said.
He describes the new program as short, intense overseas assignments for
former Fulbright recipients. After giving it a little thought, McCormick
signed up for the program.
"It wasn't much later that they contacted me about a possible opening
in either Eastern Europe or the Philippines," he said. "I wanted
to go to the Philippines, but at the last minute it didn't work out."
That was the end of McCormick's second flirtation with a Fulbright or
at least that’s what he thought. He had previously spent a year as
a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Instead the Fulbright Program came back to McCormick a few weeks later
with a different offer.
"They said they had a Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lectureship in
the Philippines if I was still interested," McCormick said.
This opportunity was under the regular Fulbright Program, but would be
over a two- to four-week period. McCormick agreed to this new assignment
and soon received a call from the Philippines finalizing his second Fulbright
- the Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lecturing Award.
The professor of political science will spend late January through mid-February
2003 lecturing on and researching American foreign policy during visits
to various institutions in Manila and other Philippine provinces. He is
among four faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
to receive a Fulbright during the 2002-03 academic year and the second
member of the Department of Political Science to receive a Fulbright.
Ardith Maney, professor of political science, spent the fall semester
at the Kaunas Institute of Technology in Lithuania lecturing on effective
local government, public administration, and decentralization.
During his stay in the Philippines, McCormick will focus on how American
foreign policy has been affected by Congress, 9-11, globalization and
public opinion. He will also explore human rights and American foreign
policy under the Clinton and Bush administrations.
"This is a nice fit for me," McCormick said. "I hope that
this will allow me to increase my understanding of global politics in
regards to terrorism and economics. The Philippines has an important impact
on American foreign policy in Southeast Asia."
The Philippines has been an important ally in America's war on terrorism,
with American military advisors currently in that country.
This will be McCormick's first visit to the Philippines. In addition to
his previous Fulbright in New Zealand, he has traveled several times to
that country and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his previous international journeys, McCormick found that the level
of knowledge of American foreign policy is high among individuals in those
countries.
"There is a very keen interest in American foreign policy,"
he said. "In general that interest has been exacerbated since 9-11
and most recently with the talk of war with Iraq.
"In my experience it's amazing how people in other countries are
so watchful and mindful of American foreign policy - much more than U.S.
citizens are."
Around LAS
January 27 to February 3, 2003
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