Radvanyi being honored for international service

The Mississippi State historian and former diplomat who established the state's first university-based program in international studies was honored in June by having his name bestowed on the university's endowed chair in international studies.

Radvanyi

Janos Radvanyi, a Hungarian native who founded MSU's Center for International Security and Strategic Studies in 1983, already occupies the chair, an honor he received in 1996 after stepping down as the center's full-time executive director.

He was Hungary's top diplomat to the United States until 1967, when he sought political asylum in America. After completing a doctorate at Stanford University, he accepted a teaching position in the MSU History Department in 1971.

During his time at Mississippi State, Radvanyi has used his decades of involvement with the world's diplomatic community to bring to Mississippi a steady stream of ambassadors, consuls, defense and foreign affairs experts, and other government officials.