Sri Lankan Professor initiates tsunami scholarships
NEW YORK - Dr. Patrick Mendis, a Sri Lankan-born former American
diplomat and advisor to the US Delegation to the United Nations, is
donating the proceeds of his book to set up tsunami scholarships and a
peace prize in Sri Lanka.
The book—”Golbalization: The Human Side of Globalization as If the
Washington Consensus Mattered”—Is an analysis of how the Washington
Consensus influences the global policies around the world.
In his book, which is available at Lulu.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes &
Noble, Dr. Mendis has surveyed the impact on these policies—particularly
at the time he served as a visiting professor of the University of
Pittsburgh’s ‘Semester at Sea’ programme in the Caribbean, Latin
America, Africa, and Asia.
Dr. Patrick Mendis’ personal accounts of growing up in Polonnaruwa
and Minnesota serves as an introduction to the subject of
globalization—which he calls “glocalization.”
The “Peace Prize for Compassionate Minds” is to be given annually to
a person or organization working towards peace in Sri Lanka. The two
tsunami scholarships have been established at Sarvodaya.
Dr. Mendis teaches MA courses in international relations courses to
the US military in the Washington DC area. He presented a copy of the
Sri Lankan edition to White House Chief of State Andy Card in Washington
DC. A First Class Honours graduate of the University of Sri
Jayawardenepura, Dr. Mendis had previously endowed two scholarships in
his alma mater from the sales of his previous books and awards in 1993.
Later, he established another scholarship in honour of his American
mentor Ambassador Harland Cleveland at the University of Moratuwa’s Sir
Arthur C. Clerke Centre for Modern Technologies.
Former UN Undersecretary General Jayantha Dhanapala wrote: “Trained
in the discipline of geography, Dr. Mendis, book is multi-disciplinary
analysis that is both stimulating and eminently readable.”
And in his Foreword to the book, British-born Sir Arthur Clarke
wrote: “We share a lot more than just our passion for Sri Lanka. He and
I are both Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science - I first got
to know Patrick when he visited me with his American mentor, Ambassador
Harlan Cleveland, who was President of the Academy for several years.”
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