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2019 SESSION

19101896D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 316
Offered January 14, 2019
Commending Stephen K. White, Ph.D.
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Patrons-- Deeds; Delegates: Landes and Toscano
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WHEREAS, Stephen K. White, Ph.D., a native Virginian and renowned professor at two of the Commonwealth’s premier universities, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the University of Virginia, has made exceptional contributions to the study of political theory and has mentored thousands of students during his 37-year career as an educator; and

WHEREAS, Stephen White began his academic career at the University of Virginia as an undergraduate; he then pursued his doctoral research at the City University of New York before returning to the Commonwealth as an assistant professor with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 1981; and

WHEREAS, Stephen White remained with Virginia Tech for 20 years, rising to the rank of full professor, and he was elected by his colleagues to serve as chair of the Department of Political Science from 2000 to 2001; and

WHEREAS, while at Virginia Tech, Stephen White authored many groundbreaking essays, articles, and books on political theory and the history of political thought, several of which have been translated into various languages, furthering the international impact of his scholarship; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his commitment to excellence at Virginia Tech, Stephen White was awarded Phi Beta Kappa’s Sturm Award for Excellence in Faculty Research with a Broad Public Impact in 1996; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, Stephen White returned to his alma mater, the University of Virginia, to accept an endowed professorship with the Department of Politics; over the last 17 years in this role, he has taught countless students from across the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world about the value of democracy, deliberation, equity, inclusion, and fairness; and

WHEREAS, Stephen White is the recipient of two of the University of Virginia’s highest honors for teaching; he was awarded the All-University Teaching Award in 2009 and was chosen to be one of six Faculty Honorees at the Monticello Dinner for Teaching, hosted by the Seven Society, in 2009 and again in 2011 for his “willingness to teach students and cultivate minds that extends beyond the classroom”; and

WHEREAS, while at the University of Virginia, Stephen White has further shaped the field of political theory through his scholarship, authoring dozens of highly regarded articles and books, and worked as the editor-in-chief of the journal Political Theory from 2000 to 2005, which, during his tenure, became firmly established as the premier research platform for political theorists worldwide; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his outstanding scholarship over the length of his career, Stephen White has received numerous prestigious international awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship in 1977, a Gastwissenschaftler Fellowship in 1982, and two Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowships in 1987 and 1997; he has also been awarded highly competitive grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; and

WHEREAS, through these awards and the invitations of fellow scholars, Stephen White has served as a visiting professor at the University of Konstanz, Goethe University Frankfurt, and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, engaging with scholars and students across the world and providing an exemplary model of Virginian scholarship; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of Stephen White’s distinguished career as a scholar and teacher, the Political Science Department at the City University of New York bestowed upon him its Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2005; and

WHEREAS, through his prolific scholarship, diligent mentoring, and faithful devotion to his students, Stephen White has shaped the lives of thousands of young people and earned distinctions worthy of the Commonwealth’s most exalted institutions of higher learning; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Stephen K. White, Ph.D., a leading scholar in the fields of political theory and government; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Stephen K. White, Ph.D., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and respect for his insightful examinations of contemporary political life and his deep commitment to students and fellow scholars in the Commonwealth and throughout the world.