Contact: Sammy McDavid
The Mississippi State historian and former diplomat who established the state's first university-based program in international relations is being honored in Jackson Monday night [June 22].
Janos Radvanyi, who founded MSU's Center for International Security and Strategic Studies in 1983, is having his name bestowed on the university's endowed chair (professorship) in international studies.
The naming ceremony will take place at the Capital City Petroleum Club. MSU President Malcolm Portera and Vice President for Advancement Billy C. Ward will be joined on the podium by E.B. "Bud" Robinson Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Deposit Guaranty National Bank, and Earle F. Jones, co-chairman of the board of the Flowood-based MMI Hotel Group/Dining Services. [NEWS EDS./DIRS.: The program begins at 7 p.m.]
Radvanyi already occupies the chair, an honor he received in 1996 after stepping down as the center's full-time executive director.
A native of Hungary, he was that country's top diplomat to the United States until 1967, when he sought political asylum in America. After completing a doctorate at Stanford University, he accepted a teaching position in the MSU history department in 1971.
During his time at Mississippi State, Radvanyi has used his decades of involvement with the world's diplomatic community to bring to Mississippi a steady stream of ambassadors, consuls, defense and foreign affairs experts, and other government officials.
Much of the chair's initial programming has focused on the Jackson-based Executive Lecture Forum. Distinguished visitors from throughout the world have been invited to the capital city to share their knowledge of current international developments with Robinson, Jones and other state business and government leaders. Most also spoke on the MSU campus.
Radvanyi has arranged countless programs specifically designed to assist state business and industrial concerns in improving their capabilities to compete globally. Additionally, he has worked closely with federal agencies, especially the departments of State and Defense, to provide research expertise in matters of international significance.