Malaysian Political Science Professor Appointed to Razak Chair

Editors: A photo of Professor Zakaria Ahmad is available at: www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/ZAKARIA_AHMAD.JPG

ATHENS, Ohio (February 2, 2001) -- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Political Science Professor, Zakaria Ahmad, has been appointed the Tun Abdul Razak chair in Southeast Asia Studies at Ohio University.

Ahmad, who served as dean of social sciences and humanities at UKM prior to joining Ohio University in January, is the 10th Malaysian scholar to serve as chair since the position was created in 1980. During his two-year term, Ahmad will teach courses in Southeast Asian international relations and foreign policies of Asian states. "I think I've come at an auspicious time with the new administration in the United States," he said. "It's an opportunity to establish better ties with Malaysia. I think I can present a more balanced view of Malaysia."

Zakaria completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Singapore, a master's degree at McMaster University and a doctorate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar at the Hoover Institution of War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford, Calif., and as a senior fellow at the Resource Systems Institute at the East-West Center, Hawaii.

Tun Abdul Razak was the second prime minister of Malaysia from 1970 to 1976, helping to shape the country's economy and education policies. The Razak Chair was endowed jointly in 1980 by a grant from the Malaysian government and matching funds from American firms operating in Malaysia. The chair brings Malaysian scholars to Ohio University for two years of teaching, research and advising of students studying about Southeast Asia.