Friday, June 24, 2011
It is unclear whether a Niagara University professor will return to his job now that he has been appointed prime minister of Somalia.
Abdiweli Ali, an associate professor of economics, is currently on sabbatical from the Lewiston institution. He was appointed June 23 as prime minister of the troubled African nation, succeeding a Grand Island man who’d held the post for seven months.
Officials at the university are uncertain about Ali’s future plans at Niagara. Mark Wilson, dean of the College of Business Administration, confirmed that Ali is still affiliated with the university and said that Ali’s sabbatical may turn into a leave of absence.
Ali, who served as the country’s minister of planning and international cooperation, succeeds Mohamed Mohamed, who resigned last weekend following months of in-fighting. Ali was hired by Niagara in 2003 and received a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and a master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University.
According to Niagara’s web site, Ali is a researcher in the areas of economic growth and development, international trade, public finance and public choice