Headshot of Leon E. Clark Jr.

Leon Clark passed away in October 2003
His obituary can be found Here.

 

Prior to joining CIE, Leon held a number of positions in the field of International Education. His interest in international education grew out of his years of teaching and community development work in Bangladesh, India, and countries throughout Africa.

 

In his role as the deputy director of the Governmental Affairs Institute in Washington (GAI), D.C., Leon administered rural development programs overseas and was responsible for training and evaluation activities. He was a journalist in the U.S. Army working for the Stars and Stripes newspaper and as a reporter for The Hartford Courant before becoming a teacher in Darien, Connecticut, and a visiting professor at the University of Mysore in India.

 

Leon later joined Columbia University as associate director of its social sciences and humanities center. In addition, he served as the educational director of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington-based research organization, and as an associate director of the Governmental Affairs Institute.

 

Long interested in diverse cultures, Dr. Clark wrote his first textbook, "Through African Eyes," in the early 1970s. Leon was a keen observer of other cultures with a commitment: to bring to the “First World” a clearer understanding of what the “Third World” was really like. He summarized his goal for his books as: “While studying other cultures for their own sake can be invaluable, even edifying, the ultimate benefit can be the discovery of the self.”

 

He subsequently edited a series of books about other cultures. He co-wrote Through Middle Eastern Eyes with Bob Pearson, another CIE graduate. The books ultimately became part of the Center for International Training and Education's World Culture Series for college and high school social studies classes.

 

 

 

In 1982 Leon joined American University where he founded and become the Director of the International Education Program, a program that helped to internationalize American education and establish education programs in developing countries. He taught there until he retired as an Emeritus Professor in 1999.

 

During his academic career, he worked as a private consultant to the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other international development agencies, primarily on population and education projects in Africa and Asia. [11-03]

 

Degree: 
Ed.D.
Entrance Year: 
Graduation Year: 
5-year span: 
Status: 
CIE Graduate