Global Vision
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At a time when many of his peers are slowing down, economist
Donald Mickelwait ’56, M.A. ’60, still revels
in a career that keeps him hopping between Baghdad, Beijing,
and Bangkok. He credits his favorite college haunt—the
University of Oregon’s main library—with launching
him on the path to success.
“I was a very active library user in college and
a serious college debater,” said the chairman and
chief executive officer of Experience International, Inc.,
during a recent tour of the Knight Library. “Debate
requires evidence, research, and a library, which I used
a great deal.”
Mickelwait, whose Thailand-based consulting firm plans
and develops rural recovery projects for nations reeling
from natural disasters or wars, says the research skills
he developed as a student are essential in his profession.
Whether the challenge is reviving Iraq’s wheat industry
or stanching the desertification of western China, recovery
plans begin by reconstructing how a region’s resources
and infrastructure looked before the damage occurred.
