Mike Tierney: Mike Tierney '87, M.A. '88, co-director of the College's Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, involves students in his research as part of the learning process. Annual support helps programs and faculty like Tierney provide more opportunities for students.
Photo by: John Henley
Faculty Make it Happen
Professor Mike Tierney
As co-director of the College's Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, Associate Professor of Government Mike Tierney '87, M.A. '88 has helped usher in a new era for international study at the College. The Institute has created a variety of research opportunities for students who are interested in international development. Tierney also has involved students in groundbreaking endeavors like the Project Level Aid in Development (PLAID), a sophisticated database that could have far-reaching impact on countries in need of assistance. Funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and from two professorships Tierney holds - the George C. and Mary C. Hylton Professorship and the Weingartner Term Professorship - allows him and students to do more research.
William & Mary faculty like Tierney prove it's possible to be both an inspiring teacher and an innovative researcher. This strong student-faculty connection - fostered by William & Mary's 12:1 student-faculty ratio, one of the lowest in the country among public universities - helps forge a unique intellectual partnership that yields results in the classroom and beyond. Annual gifts support the efforts of faculty like Tierney and his students, bolstering the value of the William & Mary experience. The College's strengths as a leading 21st century liberal arts institution have reshaped Tierney's perspective of his alma mater. "I received a fantastic, classical liberal arts education at William & Mary," he says. "William & Mary still does that well, but the difference is the degree to which students in the social sciences do real, meaningful research."
Annual gifts support the efforts of faculty like Tierney and his students, bolstering the value of the William & Mary experience. The College's strengths as a leading 21st century liberal arts institution have reshaped Tierney's perspective of his alma mater. "I received a fantastic, classical liberal arts education at William & Mary," he says. "William & Mary still does that well, but the difference is the degree to which students in the social sciences do real, meaningful research."
