(March 4, 2014)

Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow to speak on education

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College will host Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow Marcia Grant, March 10 through March 14. Grant is Founding Dean, President, and Academic Vice Dean of Effat Women's College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

During her stay, Grant will also present a lecture for the community Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Whited Room that is free and open to the public. Her presentation will explore how to address issues in education. She will also serve as guest lecturer for numerous classes and meet with members of Centenary's administration and faculty.

Grant's academic career began at Oberlin College, where she taught African and international politics. Later, she entered the United States Foreign Service and served as Director of the Fulbright Program in Mexico and as a cultural attaché in Paris. Her resume also boasts leading the Edward S. Mason program for Third World government officials at Harvard's Kennedy School, working with the Institute of International Education in New York, and serving as Executive Director of the Institute of North American Studies in Barcelona.

In 1999, Grant started designing a college for the women of Jeddah, a commercial hub in western Saudi Arabia and the country's second largest city. The university has grown to include 36 teachers and 200 students.

She obtained credits as a non-degree seeking student at Princeton Theological Seminary, received her B.A. with honors from Swarthmore College, M.A. and M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Ph.D. from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

For more than 35 years, the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program has brought prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders and other nonacademic professionals to campuses across the United States for substantive dialogue with students and faculty members. The program is organized by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), which is the major national service organization for all small and mid-sized, independent, liberal arts colleges and universities in the United States.