We all have someone who has touched our life in a special way — a family member, a valued mentor or even a beloved pet.
Across K-State, so many places, programs and scholarships bear someone’s name. But who are these celebrated individuals?
Meet Michael Suleiman, who’ll always be remembered.
By Penny
Mike was often the odd one out.
As a boy in Tiberias, Palestine, he was a Presbyterian among Muslims, Catholics and the Greek Orthodox. In 1948, when Mike was 14, his family had to flee to Jordan because of the fighting over the formation of Israel. While in Amman, Mike attended the Bishop’s School, which was run by the British Anglican Church. He flunked all of his classes because they were in English, and he didn’t know the language. So he got a dictionary and taught himself.
When Mike came to the U.S. in 1956, he was again the odd man out as an Arab in Peoria, Illinois, and then later in Madison, Wisconsin, for graduate school. When we married in 1963, we couldn’t travel to the South due to anti-miscegenation laws. One of Mike’s professors at the University of Wisconsin recommended he look at getting a job at Kansas State University. He went for a visit and was impressed. Our plan was to be at K-State for one year, but we fell in love with the place.
He built a career researching and teaching about Middle East politics and the Arab American diaspora. We lived in several countries for his work — Egypt, Morocco, England, Tunisia, Lebanon and Indonesia. Mike helped educate generations of Arab and Middle East scholars and government officials, giving lectures and consulting across the world.
Mike accomplished much in his academic work, finishing his career as a University Distinguished Professor. He was published widely and respected in his field. What people don’t know about him are his other interests. He loved science fiction, old westerns, and country and folk music.
And he had the best smile — it lit up his face and his eyes twinkled.
The Michael W. Suleiman Chair in Arab and Arab-American Studies was established by the late John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil Co. and founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy.
