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| VOL. 2 ISSUE 3 |  |
| FEBRUARY 5, 2004 | |
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 WSU
faculty member was Holocaust survivor; peace, civil rights and labor
activist; and respected educatorOtto Feinstein, professor of political science at Wayne State University for 43 years, died Dec. 30, at the age of 73. Feinstein is survived by his daughters, Sarah and Tamara, who cared for him during his battle with cancer of the esophagus. Feinstein spent his life as a devoted educator, scholar and political activist. After escaping Nazi-occupied Austria, Feinstein arrived with his parents and brother, Alfred, as refugees in New York City in 1940. Feinstein graduated at the top of his high school class and attended the University of Chicago, where he received a BA degree in 1950. He continued his studies at the Institut des Hautes Estudes International at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where he received an MA in 1953. Before receiving his PhD, Feinstein was drafted and returned to the US to serve in the army during the Korean War. He finished his doctoral work at the University of Chicago in 1965, where he met his late wife, Nicolette, while working on the journal, New University Thought. Feinstein's life at WSU began in 1960 when he joined the faculty at Monteith College. Over the years, he served as an educator, researcher and administrator. He developed and was central in the creation of numerous centers, institutes and programs, including these: To Educate the People Consortium, a distance-learning television program He created and was the director of the Communication/Information System for the Unemployed, where thousands of autoworkers displaced during the downsizing of the early 1980s went back to school. He worked extensively in promoting education dissemination through television, such as that through the innovative Working Channel. He also served as an education director at WTVS Detroit/Channel 56 for several projects. Along with continuing education, Feinstein's work focused on ethnicity and international politics including ethnic conflict and globalization. To this end, he was instrumental in the development of the Michigan Ethnic Heritage Studies Center and the International Institute for the Policy, Practice, and Education of Adults. He collaborated with many international institutions through conferences and projects including UNESCO, the Inter-University Centre at Dubrovnik (Croatia) and the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). He also founded and published the Journal of Ethno Development. Feinstein worked directly with representatives from all levels of government to promote his educational mission. A lifelong precinct delegate, he encouraged others to become involved in the political process through education and example. He was active in Michigan politics and served as the Michigan chair for the 1968 McCarthy Presidential Campaign and was runner-up for chairperson of the Michigan Democratic Party. Feinstein developed and implemented a groundbreaking educational program for promoting civic engagement among youth locally, nationally and internationally. Last year, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized this project, called the Youth Urban Agenda/Civic Literacy Project, for its efforts. Counted among his many accomplishments are hundreds of papers, books, conferences, television programs and campaigns. He received these honors, among others: These accomplishments, along with his strong commitment to teaching, led to his profound influence on innumerable lives. | ||||
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