Leonard Suransky
Leonard Suransky is a South African doctor of International Relations and Education and is the former Head of the Department of International Relations at Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands. Early life and education. Suransky was born and raised in South Africa. He has a BA from Hebrew University Jerusalem, an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He specializes in designing and administering International Relations games and simulations, in the academic, public and corporate sectors. His son Shael Polakow-Suransky is the president of Bank  Street College of Education. He is Jewish, and was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa before he emigrated in 1973. Research interests. His current research interests include transitions to democracy in Africa, development issues and poverty alleviation, identity politics, and conflict and crisis management in the Greater Middle East and Southern Africa. Awards. He received the Des Lee Visiting Lectureship in Global Awareness at Webster University. Upon winning the Des Lee Visiting Lectureship in Global Awareness Suransky stated, "When I first saw the words ‘global awareness’ in the title of the award, I immediately thought ‘that’s not enough .’ After finding out about a problem intellectually, how does one get to feel something about it? That involves empathy and compassion. This could involve taking some personal risk, perhaps even exposing oneself to some danger. So, in a nutshell, how do we move from understanding (becoming globally aware,) to compassion for others in our global village, to action to transform the often inequitable realities of a dramatically skewed world."