The Santa Clara

Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Scene

Media Credit: BY WILL DANSE--THE SANTA CLARA The political science professor came to Santa Clara in 1975. His students admire him for the way he implements real world knowledge into the classroom.

In William Stover's office hangs a 1993 photograph of President Clinton, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin peacefully shaking hands.

Before coming to Santa Clara in 1975, the political science professor served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. After a few years in this field, however, he decided that the profession would not suit him for the rest of his life. "I saw American politics and didn't believe in them," Stover said. "I saw the whole war as a big waste, so I put in my resignation. Also, I knew that I didn't want to work in a profession that's constantly dangerous."

Stover decided to get his doctorate and pursue a career in teaching. "I wanted to be able to apply knowledge into action," he said.

This quarter, Stover's international relations students -- along with Kuwaiti students and postgraduate students from the Naval Academy via satellite -- will simulate conflict resolution together.

"I would like to have enough universities in the Middle East and here who are using this methodology of conflict resolution so that we can have students in Israel know what it's like to be Palestinian," said Stover. "Students in Lebanon would know what it's like to be Israelis. Students in the United States would be Iranians. We would be switching roles to look at the world in a different way."

Stover's career as a professor has been a very fulfilling component of his life journey. "I teach because it keeps my mind flexible. I get as much from teaching as I give."

"Introduction to international relations is my favorite class to teach because it's so basic," he added. "The students who take the class are so fresh. And it's nice to be there when they're developing these new ideas."

Senior political science major Marisa Ornelas is a member of the introduction to international relations class, and she values Stover's style of presenting the big political issues. "He focuses a lot on us focusing outside of our own perspective," Ornelas said. "He takes the fact that we are all decently well-off and spins it so we know what it's like in China or the Cuban Missile Crisis. That's a valuable experience for people of our generation."

Besides teaching at Santa Clara, Stover is a Fulbright Senior Fellow for Information Technology. As a fellow, he receives grants to travel and has been to the Middle East about 15 times. During these trips, Stover lectures and hosts sessions about conflict resolution with faculty and students at various universities.

"My specialty is in conflict resolution," said Stover. "These political leaders shaking hands is all part of the hustle process. The Middle East will always have conflict in the immediate future, so it can be a laboratory to work for peace."

The main hope that Stover has for his students is that they practice in the real world what they learn in the classroom. "They should apply the wisdom they're getting in order to make other people's lives better," he said.

He tries to act on this motto both in his professional and private life. Once a year, Stover, his wife and a group called The Flying Doctors volunteer in Mexico, bringing medical aid to rural areas of the country where many people do not have access to proper medical services.

"There's a lot of poverty," Stover explained. "Most of these people are indigenous people that work on farms. A lot of folks have never seen a physician before. A lot of them don't even speak Spanish, but the dialect of their rural village. So there's a real need."

Whether he is teaching in the classroom at Santa Clara, giving lectures in the Middle East or pursuing his volunteer activities, Stover puts his belief in finding resolutions to major problems into practice on a daily basis.

Contact Molly McGonigle at (408) 551-1918 or mmcgonigle@scu.edu.

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