Ralph Smuckler was born on April 10, 1926. He arrived on the Michigan State campus in 1951 and taught municipal government and introduction to political science. In the mid-1950s he traveled to Vietnam where he helped create the National Institute of Administration in Saigon where Vietnamese people were trained for police service. After leaving Vietnam in 1959, Smuckler served as the Assistant Dean of International Programs at MSU and eventually became Dean in 1969, a position which he held until 1991. Because of his efforts, MSU is recognized as a model in the international arena for development and related activity/service and is a major competitor in international studies and research. Smuckler retired in 1993 and passed away on November 15, 2012.
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