W. Raymond Duncan

The W. Raymond Duncan Alumni Scholarship was established by the Department of Political Science & International Studies with contributions from friends, colleagues, and former students to honor the 32-year career of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ray Duncan.

Ray left a legacy that many will long admire and few will duplicate. In 1975, he won the State University of New York’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1979, he was named Distinguished Teaching Professor. He was a Secretary of the Navy Fellow at the Naval War College from 1992 to 1993. SUNY Brockport was exceedingly lucky to wrestle Ray back from the Naval War College.

Ray worked tirelessly to establish International Studies as an independent multidisciplinary major, bringing this effort to fruition in 1996. He served as Chairperson for the new joint Department of Political Science and International Studies from 1996 to 1999, during which time the number of majors in the department increased by nearly fifty percent. Many new majors were attracted to the department on the strength of Ray’s personality alone.

Ray Duncan was considered one of the nation’s foremost experts on Latin American politics. During his illustrious career, Ray published eight books and thirty-five articles/ chapters. Such scholarship would be considered outstanding at a major research institution. It is even more exceptional given the fact that Ray spent almost his entire career at an institution where students and teaching have always been the primary focus.

Everyone who knew Ray Duncan understood that the richly deserved professional honors he amassed during his tenure did not begin to do justice to his contributions to SUNY Brockport. Those who knew Ray well realize that his most precious contribution is his unfailing enthusiasm, not only for the disciplines of political science and international studies but indeed, for every aspect of life. Colleagues and students alike simply cannot have a bad day around Ray. Whether walking the hallways of his department or standing before a room full of students, he exudes a spirit of good cheer that is contagious. It is perhaps this last quality of Ray’s that will be most deeply missed.