Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Social Work Albert Hughes was born in Meridan, Mississippi, and educated in its public schools. After a short tour of duty with the United States Marine Corps, through its Reserve Program, he attended Mississippi State University, Mississippi State. Hughes graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor's (1961) and master's (1962) degrees in political science and history. After teaching at William Carey College, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, from 1962 to 1965, he returned to Mississippi State University to begin work on his doctorate in sociology. He studied and taught at Mississippi State University from 1965 to 1968. In 1968, Appalachian State University hired Hughes to conduct summer institutes for public school social science teachers. The program, directed by Hughes for six years and called the Institute on Constitutional Democracy, was housed in the Department of Political Science. After he was awarded, in 1972, the Ph.D. degree in sociology and political science from Mississippi State University, Hughes was promoted to associate professor of sociology at Appalachian State. In 1974, he was promoted to full professor. During his tenure at Appalachian State, Hughes created the Center for Community Education and became its first director. The Center for the Study of Private Enterprise, initially directed from the chancellor's office, was also created by him. After Hughes returned to full-time teaching, the center was housed in the College of Business, where it continues to be a vital program. Other appointments for Dr. Hughes were: director of the Master of Arts in social studies programs; director of the Master of Arts in the sociology curriculum program; co-director of the undergraduate minor in the East Europe, Russia, and Central Asia program; and director of Appalachian State's programs in Washington, District of Columbia, and New York City. Hughes' publications include studies on affirmative action; African-American political involvement; on media propaganda of both the United States, Western democracies, and the former Soviet Union; and on multinational corporations and national laws. His book on the political socialization of Soviet youth was published in 1991. Dr. Hughes retired as a professor emeritus in May 1998, after thirty years at Appalachian State University. Hughes' wife, Maxine, is a professional interior designer with her own firm. Dr. and Mrs. Hughes have three children and five grandchildren. Sources: Personal correspondence and long association. -Dr. Richard D. Howe
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