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Jul. 30, 2012

Political Scientist Named International Relations Professor

Iranian scholar steps into prestigious post at Trinity University

SAN ANTONIO - Sussan Siavoshi, professor and chair of the political science department at Trinity University, has been named the Una Chapman Cox Distinguished Professor of International Relations.  She fills the position previously held by Mary Ann Tétreault, Ph.D., who retired in May.

Siavoshi joined the Trinity faculty in 1986 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2000.  A native of Iran, Siavoshi earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Pahlavi University in Iran and both her master's and doctorate in political science at Ohio State University, where she began her teaching career. 

Since coming to Tinity, Siavoshi has published numerous scholarly articles and presented papers at more than 28 conferences around the world.  Her book, Liberal Nationalism in Iran: the Failure of a Movement, was published in 1990 and translated into a Persian edition in 2001. She has served on numerous University committees, including the Promotion and Tenure committee, the Standing Committee for Assessing the Common Curriculum, and an ad hoc committee on diversity, among others.

A knowledgeable and sought after speaker, Siavoshi has given generously of her time addressing groups throughout the broader community and shared her expertise and perspective during campus events such as Difficult Dialogues, Women's History Month, and A Trinity Summer.  She received an award for distinguished service to Trinity in 2011.

Una Chapman Cox, who traveled widely and had a keen interest in enhancing the Foreign Service, established the Una Chapman Cox Distinguished Professorship in International Relations in 1981. Cox was the daughter of P.A. and Berta Chapman of Waxahachie and the widow of John J. Cox Jr., founder of the San Antonio law firm of Cox and Smith. The inaugural Una Chapman Cox Distinguished Professor, John G. Stoessinger, professor emeritus, was named in 1983.