Political Science Professor Richard A. Joseph of Emory University in Atlanta is the first to be named a Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor.
The new program was proposed last year by the Martin Luther King Committee, co-chaired by Professor Michael Feld of physics and Dean Leo Osgood of the Office of Minority Education.
Provost Mark S. Wrighton announced the appointment Friday at a breakfast hosted by President Charles M. Vest and Mrs. Vest in connection with MIT's 21st annual celebration of Dr. King's life. The two-year appointment begins in September.
Professor Joseph works closely with the Carter Center in Atlanta, the organization of former President Jimmy Carter.
The provost also noted that Professor Marcus A. Thompson, recently appointed the first Robert R. Taylor Professor at MIT, would perform at the MLK celebration later in the day. Professor Thompson, a noted violist, holds a chair MIT created last year to honor the Institute's first African-American alumnus, who graduated in 1892.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on February 15, 1995.
