International relations expert Ambrosius first Waugh professor

Lloyd Ambrosius, professor of history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is the first recipient of the Samuel Clark Waugh distinguished professorship of international relations. The UNL College of Arts and Sciences announced the award April 29 at a reception honoring Ambrosius and the Waugh family.

The endowed professorship was created by Waugh's daughter, Elizabeth Brownlee of Winter Park, Fla., and her family, with a $250,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation.

"In honor of my father and his accomplishments, I wanted to create this professorship to support the university which he loved so much and to support a cause to which he showed so much dedication," Brownlee said.

"Today we live in an uncertain world, where international relations are more important than ever. It is my hope that by supporting the research and scholarship of this professorship, we will contribute to increased understanding and appreciation of other countries and of the role the United States plays in sustaining world peace."

Richard Hoffmann, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said he is pleased with the commitment of the Waugh family to the university. "Endowed professorships honor the person after whom the endowment is named, provide tangible and important recognition of the contributions of a faculty member, and help to attract or retain the very best professors. We all benefit from this kind of generosity."

Ambrosius received a doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1967 before starting at UNL in the same year. He has since published numerous major works on American foreign relations. Beginning in 1972, Ambrosius served as a visiting professor in Europe three times, twice as a Fulbright professor in Germany and once as the Mary Ball Washington professor of American history at University College in Dublin, Ireland.

His scholarship in international history has focused on President Woodrow Wilson and German-American relations. He has been invited throughout his career to deliver lectures on U.S. foreign policy issues at several European universities and has worked to promote better transatlantic understanding. In this respect, his career is not unlike Waugh's.

Waugh, an alumnus of UNL, served the First Trust Co. in Lincoln for 40 years until he was selected by President Dwight Eisenhower as the assistant secretary of state for economic affairs in 1953. In this position, he played an integral role in the reconstruction of Europe and Asia in the postwar years.

Waugh went on to hold various positions in the field of international relations and economics, including the position of president of the Export-Import Bank and overseas consultant to the Bank of New York and the Blaw-Knox Co.

Waugh died in 1970 and is survived by 11 great-grandchildren, four grandchildren, and one daughter, Brownlee.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a nonprofit corporation supplementing support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University of Nebraska's four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations and other foundations since 1936. Its Web site is www.nufoundation.org.

CONTACT: Robb Crouch, Director of Public Relations, NU Foundation, (402) 472-0151