Dexter Lensing, a Ph.D. student of Political Science, is featured in a New York Times story on foreign students studying in China in light of the recent Coronavirus outbreak. Lensing was forced to change the plans he had through his fellowship and travel back to the US, leaving behind “his most valuable possessions,” the NYTimes reported.
Lensing has been awarded the 2019-2020 Chinese Language Fellowship Program (CLFP) from the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and started his program last Fall.
Lensing’s research looks at foreign NGOs (INGOs) that operate in China and how the implementation of China’s new 2017 law regulating INGOs effects state-society relations, the ability of INGOs to operate in the country, and potentially the impact from events in Hong Kong where the CCP has blamed foreign organizations for causing the protests. Additionally, he researches civil-military relations and how reforms under President Xi has attempted to improve ties between the civil sector with the military in order to rapidly improve the modernization and capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Lensing received his BA in political science from Boise State University where he studied elite Chinese politics. His most recent publication is a journal article entitled “From Mao to Xi: Chinese Political Leadership and the Craft of Consolidating Power.” Ultimately, he is seeking a policy-oriented career.
Read the full article here.