Venue: IDSA Board Room

About the Speaker

On October 20, 2014, Dr. William A. Stanton assumed the position of Interim Senior Vice President of Global Affairs for National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) with a mandate to strengthen NTHU’s international academic cooperation, to promote international recognition, and to find new resources to help accomplish these goals. As of February 1, 2015, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Global Affairs.

Since July 1, 2013, Dr. Stanton has also served as the founding Director of NTHU’s Center for Asia Policy as the first George K.C. Yeh Distinguished Chair Professor of General Studies. The Center is focused on giving Taiwan a stronger and more prominent voice in academic discussions of Asia policy, and on providing research support, ideas, and practical recommendations for Taiwan policies.

Prior to his return to academics, Dr. Stanton served for 34 years as a U.S. diplomat. His final posting was as Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) from August 2009 to July 2012. During his tenure at AIT, significant progress was made on a number of key bilateral issues, including Taiwan’s entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, security assistance, high-level visits, and resolution of trade disputes. For his contributions to U.S. trade with Taiwan, Dr. Stanton was awarded the 2011 Charles E. Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development. For his overall contributions to U.S.-Taiwan relations, Taiwan President Ma Ying Jeou awarded Dr. Stanton the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon.

Dr. Stanton previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission to both the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea (2006-09) and the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia (2003-06). During the latter assignment, he served some 23 months as Chargé d’affaires ad interim. His other Asia-related experience included two three-year assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the first time as a 1st Secretary and the second time as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs; and in the Department of State as Deputy Director for the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, and as Special Assistant for East Asia and Pacific Affairs for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Dr. Stanton received two years of Mandarin training, including a year of language studies at AIT.

Dr. Stanton has also served as Director of the Office of Egyptian and North African Affairs; Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs; Political-Military Affairs Officer in Embassy Islamabad; Country Officer for Lebanon; Staff Assistant for the Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asian Affairs; Watch Officer in the Department of State Operations Center; and Consular and Political Officer at Embassy Beirut. Dr. Stanton’s State Department awards include the Secretary’s Career Achievement Award, three Superior Honor Awards, one Superior Group Award, and several performance awards. For his contributions to the U.S. Forces Korea Command from 2006 to 2009, the U.S. Department of the Army awarded Dr. Stanton the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.

Dr. Stanton earned a B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Fordham University in New York and an M.A. and a Ph.D. (1978) in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which he attended on a National Defense Education Act Fellowship. He also spent a year studying at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany.