SOME IMAGES FROM MY TWENTY YEARS

SOME IMAGES FROM MY TWENTY YEARS AS A PROFESSOR
WITH MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

Copyright 2011-2012: All Rights Reserved.
This website is for historical purposes only. All images
and source material used on this web site are in the
care and custody of Dr. Dennis Hickey and may
not be copied, rewritten, or redistributed without written permission.

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Strong Hall--Home of the Department of Political Science at Missouri State University

In 1991, I joined the Department of Political Science at Missouri State University (MSU). This year marked the end of my 20th year of teaching at this institution! A lot has changed since 1991. For example, this institution received a state-wide mission in public affairs from the Missouri legislature in 1995. And the name of the university was upgraded to Missouri State University in 2005. The Department of Political Science has also changed. It now boasts two excellent graduate programs--the Master's in Public Administration program and the Master's in Global Studies program (formerly the Master's in International Affairs and Administration). Enrollment at the university now exceeds 23,000 and almost two thousand of those are international students. In fact, MSU now maintains more links with China through its numerous China programs than any other public university in Missouri.

Please be forewarned that this page might best be considered a retrospective "work in progress." In other words, as our students would say, it is "under construction." My ultimate aim is to eventually post some images from each of the 20 years that I've spent at Missouri State University. So, the images below represent only a modest beginning. In order to make this a tad easier, I will start with more recent images and try to work my way back. As the university is going to change the format of homepages shortly, however, this page may only be available for a limited time. Still, this is a fun way to remember some portions of the past 20 years (of course, more images may be found on Facebook!).

During the fall semester of 2011, I taught the graduate seminar in
International Organizations for the first time. On December 15, we had a
"class party" and this image shows some of the students who attended. It
also features Dr. Indira Palacios (who teaches the seminar in Comparative Politics
and other classes) who is standing directly in front of me.

Making a Point in the Hong Kong workshop, "40 Years after Sino-American Normalization:
A New Dawn or A New Darkness?" in December 2011.
It must have seemed important to me at the time!

Delivering a paper in Hong Kong on December 3, 2011

Attending the Annual Taiwan Political Science Association Meeting in Taipei,
Taiwan, Republic of China on November 13, 2011. At this meeting I delivered
a paper focusing on a peace agreement between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

At the beginning of every fall semester, the Master's in Global Studies program and the
Master's in Public Administration program host a graduate student "mixer" at
a downtown establishment like the one featured above. This image is from
the 2011 event.

Travel to Beijing in June 2011 to conduct research on Sino-American Relations

Travel to Taipei in late May 2011 to conduct research on issues related to Taiwan, the US and the
Chinese mainland.

A farewell dinner with Takashi Kawamoto who returned to Tokyo after graduation in May 2011.
During his studies in the Master's in Global Studies Program, Takashi and I co-authored
an op-ed, "More than Income Gap to Bridge," focusing on the problems associated with growing inequalities in
the People's Republic of China. The China Daily published the op-ed in its entirety--including our
observation that the distribution of incomes in the Chinese mainland cannot compare to that enjoyed
in Taiwan or the Republic of Korea. Unlike some media outlets in Taiwan, the China Daily will
not change the wording of an op-ed without the permission of the author.

Delivering the keynote address at a scholarly conference arranged by graduate students at Ming Chuan University (Taipei campus) in late March and early April 2011.

Christmas in Rome, December 2010. This was a major change for us. It
was an actual vacation!

Concluding discussions in Beijing on the new exchange agreement between the Contemporary China Studies Program
of the School of International Studies at Renmin (People's) University of China and the Master's in Global
Studies program in the Department of Political Science in November 2010. This agreement should
provide excellent opportunities for students from both universities.

Delivering a guest lecture on the changing relations between Taipei and Beijing
at the University of London in October 2010. The university boasts an
excellent Taiwan Studies program.

Touring Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial in Taipei with one of our students (Aaron Kruse who is now a graduate
student in the MGS program) and another student (on right) from another university in August 2010.

Meeting with Lee Teng-hui, former President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
during August 2010. Some portions of the interview were included in the article, "Rapprochement Between
Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland: Implications for American Foreign Policy," that was published in the
March 2011 issue of The Journal of Contemporary China. As always, President Lee made some
"interesting" observations about recent developments in Taiwan.

After meeting with officials at the Taiwan Affairs Office and others in Beijing during the "work week," it is always fun to visit Panjiayuan Market on the weekend. During this visit in August 2010, it was very hot. However, it proved to be much hotter
in Shanghai (over 40 C).

Enjoying high-tea at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in March 2010. The paper delivered at the conference was entitled,
"US Policy and Cross-Strait Rapprochement: What Beijing May Expect from Washington," and will be published shortly.

During the course of my 20 years at MSU, I've organized a number of conferences focusing on issues related to Taiwan and/or the Chinese mainland. In 2009, this conference explored the changing relations between Taipei and Beijing. And it brought together three classmates from "back in the day" at the University of Texas. On my right is Professor Baohui Zhang (Lingnan University) and on my right is Professor Emerson Niou (Duke University). We are demonstrating UT's "hook 'em horns" sign.

Delivering a guest lecture at the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for
Sino-American Relations in Nanjing, China during 2009. During the academic year 1989-90,
I had taught as a visiting professor at this superb institution. In 2008, my wife and I returned for the first time
since 1990. Needless to say, Nanjing had changed a lot. We returned again in
2009 and 2010.

In 2008, I was a Fulbright Exchange Professor at the China Foreign Affairs University in
Beijing, China. The student on the left side of your screen, Yiran Zhou, joined the MGS program. During
his studies in the program, we co-authored a scholarly paper entitled, "Chinese Mainland-United States-
Taiwan Triangular Relations Since 2000: A Perspective of Complex Interdependence," in Sujian Guo
and Baogang Guo (editors), Thirty Years of Sino-American Relations (New York: Lexington Books, 2010).

While serving as a Fulbright Exchange Professor in Beijing during 2008, I accepted numerous
invitations to lecture at various universities in China. In this image, I am presenting Dr. Lee
at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology with a MSU banner!

2008 proved to be an interesting year. While teaching at the China Foreign Affairs University, my chapter on the psychedelic
concert posters of the Vulcan Gas Company (1967-1970) was published in the Ninth Edition of
Eric King's Guide to Rock Concert Posters,Postcards and Handbills, 1967-1973.
My contribution to this definitive guide to psychedelic posters is the only chapter that was not
authored by Mr. King. He kindly arranged to send a copy of the book to me in Beijing and other copies to my home
in Missouri. I donated a copy to the Meyer Library. The Tenth Edition (revised and updated) was published recently.

Serving as an election observer during the March 2008 presidential election in Taiwan.
The Kuomintang won a landslide victory.

In 2008, I was able to see my old friend, Mr. Gao, in Nanjing for the first time since
the academic year 1989-90 when I taught at the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University
Center for Chinese and American Studies. Mr. Gao is an incredible "collector" and gave
me my first set of Cultural Revolution handbills. Since that time, I have continued to collect them
and now have an entire Cultural Revolution Website devoted to them! The image
shows a meeting between Mr. Gao and myself in his home.

Fulbright Professor and Tai Tai in front of the Bird's Nest in Beijing in early February 2008.
It was cold!

In 2007, I met with President Chen Shui-bian for the last time (we had met on several previous occasions)
and presented him with a copy of my new book, Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan: From Principle to Pragmatism (London: Routledge, 2006). Our meeting focused on the changing nature of Beijing's policies toward Taipei and whether they were indeed changing.
Despite some thinly veiled warnings from those who detested the controversial president, I moved forward with plans to
publish the interview and it was published in the Chicago Tribune ("Interview with President Chen," January 6, 2008, Section 2, p.4).

During the summer of 2007, I delivered a paper at Oxford University in the UK.
The paper, " "The USA's Continuing Commitment to Taiwan," was subsequently published in Steve Tsang's
edited book, Taiwan and the International Community. While at Oxford, I was able to link up
with my nephew, Ben (on the left above) who was a student at Oxford and
my sister, Kathryn and her husband, Geoffrey who live in London.

In this image, Lilly Kelan Lu, then a graduate student in the MIAA program, delivers a paper on US arms sales to Taiwan
at the regional meeting of the International Studies Association in 2007. Ms. Lu and I co-authored a number of papers during
her time at MSU. I believe that my favorite was "Japan's Military Modernization: The Chinese Perspective,"
which was included in James C. Hsiung's edited book, China and Japan at Odds: Deciphering the Perpetual Conflict
(New York: Palgrave-MacMillan Publishers, 2007). In 2011, Mr. Kawamoto (see above) wrote a paper
examining the Japanese perspective of China's rise and comparing the two nation's views of each other.

In September 2007, I organized the international conference, "Taiwan, China and Democracy in East Asia."
Ambassador Joseph Wu of Taiwan, ROC and Governor Matt Blunt met on the sidelines of the
conference. Amb. Wu delivered the keynote address at the meeting which attracted
scholars from America, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

There were some "fireworks" during the second day of the international conference,
"Taiwan, China and Democracy in East Asia," after a professor originally
from the Republic of China on Taiwan criticized a mainland professor and
compared that the Chinese Communist Party to the Mafia.
Some of my students from the Chinese mainland came to the defense
of the PRC scholar. It made for an interesting end to an otherwise
fairly uneventful meeting.

In Beijing to deliver a paper at a conference hosted by Renmin Daxue (People's University)
in the summer of 2006.

Interviewing former President Lee Teng-hui in his home in 2005.
Portions of the interview were included in my fourth sole-authored book,
Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan: From Principle to Pragmatism.

Meeting President Chen Shui-bian during a conference in
Taipei on February 29, 2004. Much to my surprise, there appeared
to be almost no security for the president. Several weeks later,
someone attempted to assassinate him (although others
claim that the shooting was staged).

Delivering a Lecture at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei, Taiwan ROC
in 2003.

Like Ms. Lu, Yitan Li was a student in the Master's Program in International Affairs and Administration
and he is presently an Assistant Professor at the University of Seattle.
We co-authored the article, " Cross-Strait Relations in the Aftermath of the Election of Chen Shui-bian,"
Asian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 4, Winter, 2002. Earlier, we had
presented the paper at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association.
Professor Li earned his MIAA degree at MSU in 2002.

This images shows Strader Payton, then MIAA student, and myself in Taipei. I need to get the exact date for this image.
Mr. Payton is now a producer for Tokyo Television, but will soon be teaching in China.

Meeting President Lee Teng-hui for the first time in 1999.

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We returned to the Chinese mainland for the first time in eight years in 1998. This
was during my first sabbatical at Missouri State University.
Here we are at the Forbidden City in Beijing.

This is an image of my friend and colleague, Dr. Beat Kernen. Armed only with his administrative skills (no weapon as shown
in the image), he single-handedly developed the graduate program in international affairs and administration. Later,
he served as department head of the Political Science Department. After his retirement, he "defected" to China
where he serves as an Associate Dean.