While a graduate student, Dr. Al Guskin organized a student group on the Ann Arbor campus that is widely credited with inspiring John F. Kennedy to establish the Peace Corps



While a graduate student, Dr. Al Guskin organized a student group on the Ann Arbor campus that is widely credited with inspiring John F. Kennedy to establish the Peace Corps

Alan E. Guskin, Ph.D.
Core Faculty, Distinguished University Professor of Higher Education

Antioch Ph.D. Program
Leadership and Change
425-931-4400

aguskin@phd.antioch.edu
Faculty Photo

Alan Guskin holds the title of University Professor in Antioch Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program. Dr. Guskin, currently President Emeritus, served as President and then Chancellor of Antioch University from
1985-1997. Hid distinguished career in higher education includes leadership positions as Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Parkside (1975-1985), Acting President, Clark University in Worcester, Mass. (1973-1974), and Provost, Clark University (1971-1973). He has held faculty positions at the University of Michigan as well as Clark, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Antioch. Dr. Guskin has remained an active teacher throughout his administrative career and has written frequently on the role of leadership, power, conflict and change in educational organizations, especially universities.

After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1958, Dr. Guskin attended the University of Michigan from 1958-1961 and from 1966-1968, receiving a Ph.D. in social psychology. He interrupted his graduate education to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the first group to go to Thailand and then as a senior administrator in the creation of the domestic peace corps, VISTA. While a graduate student, Dr. Guskin organized a student group on the Ann Arbor campus that is widely credited with inspiring John F. Kennedy to establish the Peace Corps.

In a career that spans 40+ years, there are many areas of interest and even expertise, but these days Al Guskin is probably best known for his leadership roles in higher education and his recent writings and speaking on the transformation of higher education. He is particularly interested in supporting present and future higher education leaders, especially those who are committed to redesigning undergraduate education to meet the economic, social and technological realities of the next 5-10 years and beyond. Besides his role as a faculty member in this Program, he is Co-Director and Senior Scholar of the Project on the Future of Higher Education. This Project is a foundation funded multi-year series of think tanks involving some of the most creative thinkers and practitioners in higher education in the development of future institutional models for undergraduate education.

Al Guskin lives in the Seattle, Washington area in the small city of Edmonds. He often travels to consult and give speeches and has a home office from which he communicates to the world!

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

---

January 8, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Zambia RPCV Karla Berg interviews 1,374 people on Peace 7 Jan Breaking Taboo, Mandela Says Son Died of AIDS 6 Jan Dreadlocked PCV raises eyebrows in Africa 6 Jan RPCV Jose Ravano directs CARE's efforts in Sri Lanka 6 Jan Persuading Retiring Baby Boomers to Volunteer 6 Jan Inventor of "Drown Proofing" retires 6 Jan NPCA Membership approves Board Changes 5 Jan Timothy Shriver announces "Rebuild Hope Fund" 5 Jan More Water Bottles, Fewer Bullets 4 Jan Poland RPCV Rebecca Parker runs Solterra Books 2 Jan Peace Corps Fund plans event for September 30 Dec RPCV Carmen Bailey recounts bout with cerebral malaria 28 Dec more top stories...

---

Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

Read the stories and leave your comments.