A Call to the Community for a Compelling Research Agenda and Advocacy Strategy
By Herbert J. Davis, PhD
Professor of Strategic Management and International Affairs,
The George Washington University,
Senior Scowcroft Fellow in International Affairs,
The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
In cooperation with David A. Ragland
The international higher education community is now confronting unprecedented challenges as it pursues ongoing federal support for its long-established programs. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the need for a more comprehensive research agenda (i.e., to support the value of international higher education) and suggest how to develop an effective and forward-looking advo-cacy strategy for pursuing such funding. This paper also highlights the role of U.S. public and land-grant universities in international development and international education—as well as the significant contributions of USAID to international higher education development.
Dr. Herbert J. Davis
Dr. Davis has more than 35 years of experience with business and international affairs. His geographic areas of interest and expertise include South Asia, the Middle East, and the Gulf Region (GCC). Dr. Davis has held senior management positions with the United States Chamber of Commerce, including vice president for international affairs. During his career at the Chamber, he was directly involved in founding three bilateral business councils representing U.S. corporate interests in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Bahrain. He also founded and managed the South Asia Regional Energy Coalition (SAREC) at the Chamber.
While at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Davis worked closely with the Executive Office of the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations and various departments of the US government. From 2010-2013, he was the Team Lead and Acting Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Iraq Financial Development Project under contract to AECOM International Development Inc.
Dr. Davis was named global management research professor at the George Washington University in 1996 for his contributions to the international development of the School of Business and to the George Washington University. Earlier in his career, he was the provost and visiting professor of business at Indiana University, with responsibility for the University’s international campus in Selangor, Malaysia.
Professor Davis has served as a visiting scholar at the East-West Center, senior Fulbright professor to Bangladesh, and as a visiting professor at several universities worldwide (e.g., the University of Western Australia, Victoria University of Wellington, Concordia University of Montreal, and the National University of Singapore). He is the senior editor of National Culture and International Management in East Asia, published by Thomson Business Press (UK) and Management in India: Trends and Transition, published by Sage, India. Professor Davis received his PhD from Louisiana State University. During the 2016-2017 academic year, he served as the Senior Scowcroft Fellow in International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.