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Date: April 14, 1997
New Professorship Established to Honor Donald E. Stokes, Former Woodrow Wilson School Dean
Princeton, N.J. -- Princeton University has created a new professorship, the Donald E. Stokes Chair in Public and International Affairs, in memory of Donald E. Stokes, a member of the Princeton faculty for 22 years and dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for 18 years. Stokes died in January 1997 after a short illness.
The chair, partially created through donations made by alumni and friends, honors Stokes' many achievements and contributions to Princeton University, the Woodrow Wilson School, and the community.
Noted for his devotion to both the mission of the Woodrow Wilson School and the individuals within it, Stokes guided the School's expansion from a small department to one of the leading centers of public and international affairs in the United States. The faculty of the Woodrow Wilson School almost doubled during his tenure, and the graduate program developed an interdisciplinary core curriculum and increased participation by leading practitioners from the world of public affairs.
Stokes stepped down as dean in 1992 but continued to serve as an active member of the faculty until his death, taking a particular interest in the School's expanding efforts in science and public policy. "Don Stokes occupies a very special place in the hearts of all who knew him," said Woodrow Wilson School Dean Michael Rothschild. "He was an extraordinary person, and he made an enormous contribution to scholarship as well as to the lives of his students and colleagues. After his death, we received dozens of messages from alumni recounting the many ways in which he had inspired them. His legacy is one of unparalleled contribution to scholarship and education, and I am extremely pleased that this professorship will keep his name alive for generations to come here at the School."
Stokes was specialist in public opinion research who was known for his studies of American and British voting behavior. His book, Political Change in Britain , written with David Butler of Oxford and first published in 1969, has been required reading for students of British politics since its publication. In 1970, the book received the Woodrow Wilson Prize from the American Political Science Association, awarded to the year's best book on political science. Stokes was also the co-author of two other books on American and British voting behavior: The American Voter (1960) and Elections and the Political Order (1966).
In later years, Stokes' interests turned to the science policies of the federal government and the relationship between basic and applied science. He was principal author of The Federal Investment in Knowledge of Social Problems (1978) and completed the much-awaited Pasteur's Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation shortly before his death. It will by published by Brookings Institution this fall.
A tireless scholar and teacher, Stokes' work earned him an abundance of official recognition. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Research of the National Science Foundation and chaired a committee of the National Research Council that reviewed the support and use of research on social problems in all federal agencies. He had been a Senior Fulbright Research Scholar in Britain in 1963-64 and a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1964, and he was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the time of his death. He was a past president the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPPA). In 1996, the NASPPA awarded Stokes its Elmer B. Staats Award in recognition of his distinguished career in public service.
Stokes was as committed public service and to community life as he was to his scholarship. A Quaker, he served as a noncombatant paramedic in the Navy during World War II. In 1981 and 1991, he served the State of New Jersey as the tie-breaking "public" member of the Legislative Apportionment Commission, which rearranges the boundaries of voting districts to reflect shifts in population detected in the decennial census. More recently, co-chaired the Princeton Consolidation Study Commission that published a report last October favoring a merger of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township. He also served as clerk of the school committee of the Princeton Friends School. He was active in campus life as well, chairing the Society of Fellows and the Board of Whig-Clio, and he was an enthusiastic participant in alumni affairs and the Class of '51.
The University is accepting additional contributions in support of the Donald E. Stokes Chair in Politics and International Affairs. Donations may be sent to the Office of the Recording Secretary, 330 Alexander Street, Princeton, N.J. 08540.