Dr. Valerie Hudson, University Distinguished Professor of International Affairs and George H. W. Bush Chair at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, is one of two Texas A&M University faculty members to receive the 2021 Eminent Scholar Award. The award is given jointly by the Aggie Women Network and the Texas A&M Office of the President.
“I am very grateful for this award and grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with so many fine Bush School students in our Program on Women, Peace, and Security,” said Dr. Hudson.
An award ceremony will take place on October 29 from 12 to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Bethancourt Ballroom. Visit the AWN website to purchase tickets for the event. Early Bird and student discounts apply.
Hudson is an internationally recognized expert on international security and foreign policy analysis as well as gender and security. She has coauthored several books examining the political uses and implications of women’s role in society and the connection between a nation’s security and that of its female population. Most recently, she published The First Political Order: How Sex Shapes Governance and National Security Worldwide (Columbia University Press, 2020).
In support of her research, Hudson has developed a nation-by-nation database on women, the WomanStats Database, which includes the largest compilation of data on the status of women in the world today and has triggered both academic and policy interest. Using this data, Hudson and her co-principal investigators from the WomanStats Project have published a wide variety of empirical work linking the security of women to the security of states. She has helped create the Gender-Lens Curricula for Development for the teaching of international development, funded by the USDA.
“I am very grateful for this award and grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with so many fine Bush School students in our Program on Women, Peace, and Security.”
Dr. Valerie Hudson
Hudson has received numerous honors and fellowships, including the inaugural Andrew Carnegie fellowship in 2015. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and previously serves as an advisor at the National Intelligence Council. Foreign Policy magazine named her one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2009.
“Dr. Hudson is eminently deserving of this award. Her research on women, peace, and security is groundbreaking. She has been an inspiration to students and faculty members alike in her study of the impact of gender issues on international security,” said Dean Mark A. Welsh III.
From Aggie Women’s Network: Women faculty at Texas A&M, by their outstanding achievements in teaching and research and opportunities for student engagement and mentorship, are in a unique position to influence the educational experience of current women students. Successful women faculty are inspirational, and their distinguished careers are aspirational to young women who are still choosing the future direction of their lives and careers. The Eminent Scholar Award serves to recognize a woman on the Texas A&M faculty for both extraordinary achievement in original research or scholarship and a clear record of actively contributing to the success of women students through teaching, mentoring, service, and exceptional achievements.
In 2011, Aggie Women Network proposed creating an award specifically for the dedicated women faculty of Texas A&M. The first award was given in 2012. It was established to honor the extraordinary women faculty who serve as role models for all Aggie students. Each recipient receives campus recognition jointly awarded by the Office of the President and Aggie Women Network.
