Backed by more than a half-century of professional experience, Dr. Gordon F. De Jong has established himself as a well-known educator in the fields of sociology and demography. He currently serves as a distinguished professor emeritus of sociology and demography at The Pennsylvania State University, as well as the director of the school’s graduate program. He has held these positions since 1992. Previously, Dr. De Jong was a visiting faculty member at the Netherlands Graduate School in Demography and a senior fellow at the East-West Center. Dr. De Jong’s contributions to Penn State date back to 1963, when he joined the college as an assistant professor. Notably, he co-founded the Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. De Jong established prominence in the academic world as an instructor for the University of Kentucky in 1961. Nearly 60 years later, he is a renowned research consultant for the governments of the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of the Philippines and the Royal Thai Government.
With a desire to further contribute to his field, Dr. De Jong has maintained numerous affiliations throughout the course of his career. He was editor of the Journal of Demography from 1988-1990. From 1996 to 1999, he served on the Population Association of America’s Clifford C. Clogg Award Committee. He also served the association as chair from 2002 to 2003. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. De Jong was an elected council member of the American Sociological Association’s International Migration Section. Dedicated to the welfare of his community, Dr. De Jong also served as a member of a Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General task force from 1993 to 2000. He was a demographic adviser to executive officers and legislators for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and a member of Pennsylvania 2020 Vision — a state government commission working for economic, political and social equality in Pennsylvania.
Dr. De Jong earned a Bachelor of Arts from Central College in 1957. He then matriculated at the University of Kentucky, where he obtained a Master of Arts in 1960 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1963. Since entering the field, Dr. De Jong has received numerous awards and accolades in recognition of his hard work and determination. The Pennsylvania State University bestowed him with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Collaborative Teaching in 1994 and the W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award in 1997. Furthermore, Dr. De Jong has been featured on the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievers website, and he has been listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.
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