Innovation marks professor's career
By Steve Eder, Janet Harp and Kirsten Nielsen The State News In a career distinguished by academic feats and innovative thinking, Ruth Simms Hamilton was forever on the verge of unprecedented research. Just last week, the slain 66-year-old urban affairs professor told The State News about plans to launch a program focusing on urbanization and globalization next year. The blueprint for the project was among the many designed and spearheaded by Hamilton during her 35 years as a scholar, professor and mentor at MSU. "The program on global dimensions of urban experience is very important," Hamilton said six days before she was found dead in her Meridian Township home. "It's difficult to talk about things going on in Michigan today without considering what's going on around the world." It is Hamilton's global thinking and dedication that will be most missed by the community of students, professors and administrators now mourning her death. On Wednesday, those who knew Hamilton called her an "intellectual powerhouse" and a "great mind." They spoke about her pioneering work in African migration, an area of study in which she authored 11 volumes on the Diaspora. "It's a devastating loss for Michigan State University and the university community," said George Cornell, a professor of American studies and history.
