November 5, 2002 (Atlanta) - Bob Oxnam, president emeritus of the Asia Society in New York, has joined the Robinson College of Business as the first Robinson Global Scholar. One of the world's foremost authorities on the Far East, Oxnam has been working with the College to further develop its curriculum on the role of Asia within the global business marketplace.
In 2003, Robinson EMBA students will spend their two week international residency in China and Thailand. Oxnam will not only lead this trip but will serve as ambassador and arrange many of the meetings with local business executives and government officials.
According to Robinson Dean Sidney E. Harris, "Bob's extensive knowledge and background will greatly enhance the opportunities and experiences available to Robinson's students. He will help take our EMBA program, already ranked 20th in the world by Business Week magazine, to even greater levels of achievement."
Students, alumni and members of the community are invited to meet Oxnam at a special presentation on Tuesday, November 12th at the High Museum. He will offer his expertise on current affairs in the Far Eastern region and talk about the importance of Asia on the U.S. economy. For more information, contact Robinson College at 404/651-1709 or email emba@gsu.edu.
In addition to his work with the Asia Society, Oxnam has been Senior Advisor to the Society of International Business Fellows in Atlanta and the Bessemer Group in New York. He undertakes special projects from time-to-time such as accompanying Bill Gates and Warren Buffet on a three-week trip to China in 1995.
Oxnam has also served as Special Correspondent to the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (1993-94) and narrated a MacNeil/Lehrer special on China. He has written several books on China, including Ruling from Horseback, a study of the Manchu conquest of China in the 17th century and two novels, Cinnabar, published by St. Martins Press in March, 1990 and Ming, also published by St. Martins in 1995.
Educated at Williams College (BA 1964, Phi Beta Kappa) and Yale University (MA 1966 in Asian studies and Ph.D 1969 in Chinese history), Oxnam taught Chinese and Japanese history at Trinity College from 1969 to 1975. In 1993 he received the Williams College Bicentennial Medal and in 1994 he was granted an honorary LLD from Trinity. From 1993-'96 Oxnam was Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University and, in 1995, served as the Arnold Bernhard Visiting Professor at Williams College.
