Donald Lien and Francisco Durand
Distinguished Achievement Awards: Research Excellence
(April 29, 2003)--Da-Hsiang Donald Lien, professor in the Department
of Economics, and Francisco Durand, associate professor of political
science, are the winners of the 2003 President's Distinguished Achievement
Award for Research Excellence.
Over his career, Donald Lien has published more than 130 papers, almost
half of them with his students, the rest with colleagues or researchers from
other universities. His research on stock futures and options and the changing
political economy is often cited.
Recently, Lien's research on gay and lesbian income differentials was recognized
by Business Week magazine and the Canadian newspaper, National Post.
Lien joined UTSA in 2001 and has published 21 articles in highly respected
academic and professional journals. Lien also has supervised 19 dissertations
by doctoral students.
Over the last 12 years, Lien has ranked between two and 14 in the nation in
the total number of articles published in the top 16 finance journals, according
to a study done by the University of Dayton.
Lien reads a number of different economic papers and academic journals to
come up with research ideas to benefit his students. In addition to his reading,
Lien also tries to think of models using real-world scenarios and analyze
the situations using a social viewpoint.
In addition to research, Lien teaches a class to undergraduate and graduate
students, one in Industrial Organization, the other in Qualitative Methodology.
In the undergraduate class, Lien hopes to present basic ideas to the students
which they can recall when they deal with similar problems in the workforce.
At the graduate level, he tries to teach tools and ideas that will help students
refine their skills and reorganize their thought processes.
Lien says he was always interested in problem solving, but has come to realize
that most of the time the problem may never be solved, but improvements can
be made.
"I like to challenge conventional thinking and solutions," said
Lien. "For me, research is a joyful adventure into the unknowns and I
am grateful that I have many great teachers, colleagues and students in my
career, not mentioning the best co-authors anyone can get."
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Francisco Durand, associate professor of political science, is a native of Peru. He has taught at UTSA since 1991. Durand's scholarly study of public tax policies and administration in Latin America and government-business relationships in South America is well-known and often cited by scholars.
He is one of the foremost scholars of Peruvian affairs, where he also works to improve public administration policies and practices. His research has led to the publication of four books with a fifth in press, and more than two dozen articles in English and Spanish.
Durand teaches both undergraduates and graduate students at UTSA. His courses have included Latin American Politics, Politics of Mexico, Public Policy and Public Administration in Latin America, and Political Economy in the Americas. He has served as a consultant on human resources and institutional development in both Peru and Nicaragua.
Currently, he is advising members of the Congress of Peru in their studies of recent government corruption and economic crimes. In 2002, he served on the advisory board of a documentary film project, "The Fujimori Files." Durand thinks that Congress' willingness to examine this past is a hopeful sign.
"In Peru, Congress plays the leading role because the courts aren't efficient or quick enough. It's great for Latin America to see government action on these problems. It's an exercise in democracy."
Richard Gambitta, chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography, called Durand "one of the most internationally distinguished scholars at UTSA," and noted that his scholarship and research efforts have brought national and international recognition to the university.
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2003