SUMMER 2000 VOLUME 34. NUMBER 1 3

1999 DISTINGUISHED FELLOW OF THE

AMERICAN COUNCIL ON CONSUMER INTERESTS

Moharned Abdel-Ghany

CITATION

Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Ghany, professor of consumer sciences at the Uni- versity of Alabama, is the 1999 Distinguished Fellow of the American Coun- cil on Consumer Interests. He is respected both nationally and internation- ally as a leader in the consumer sciences field. He is the 1998 recipient of the Family Economics Research Award (American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences). He currently serves as president of the Asian Con- sumer and Family Economics Association and vice-president of the Profes- sional Affairs of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies.

Professor Abdel-Ghany holds a doctorate degree in family economics from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in economics from Iowa State University. He is the associate editor of the FamiZy and Con- sumer Sciences Research Journal and has served as a member of the edi-

The Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 34, No. 1,2000

Copyright 2000 by The American Council on Consumer Interests 0022-007810002- 1 I .50/3

4 THE JOURNAL OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS

torial board for The Journal of Consumer Afairs, Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, and Family Economics and Nutrition Review.

Food consumption issues were the focus of his early research efforts, based in part on his interest and education in agricultural economics and development planning while a graduate student in his native Cairo, Egypt. After arriving in the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in economics at Iowa State University, a fateful course in family economics under Dr. Margaret I. Liston broadened his research interests and changed the course of his career, much to the benefit of consumer and family economics.

The topics of his research span several areas of interest to consumer and family economists. He has analyzed consumption patterns of differ- ent ethnic and age groups, income distribution patterns, valuation of homemaker’s time, differences in household work and leisure time between spouses, gender and racial differences in wages, and measure- ment issues in assessing quality of life.

A prolific scholar and researcher, Dr. Abdel-Ghany has been widely published in all of the top journals in consumer and family sciences including The Journal of Consumer Afairs, Family and Consumer Sci- ences Research Journal (formerly titled the Home Economics Research Journal), Journal of Family and Economic Issues (formerly titled Lifestyles: Family and Economic Issues), Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, Journal of Nutrition Education, Journal of Eco- nomics and Social Measurement, Economics of Education Review, Jour- nal of Food Quality, Journal of Business and Economics Statistics, and the Family Economics and Nutrition Review (formerly titled Family Eco- nomics Review). In fact, he is the most published author in the history of not one but two journals: the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal and the Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics. In addition to publishing over forty-five refereed journal articles, Dr. Abdel- Ghany has authored over fifty other refereed publications and given eighty-five research presentations before regional, national, and interna- tional professional audiences.

Long before the term globalization became commonplace, Dr. Abdel- Ghany’s high standards of scholarship and outstanding expertise in con- ducting research engendered respect for consumer and family economics research before an international audience. He has examined patterns of con- sumption, savings, and time use in Canada, Japan, and Malaysia. Presenta- tion of his research has literally taken him around the world. He has given papers at the International Federation of Home Economics Congress in

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Germany, the Asian Regional Association of Home Economics in Malaysia, Symposium on Time in a Managerial Perspective in Italy, the Joint Conference on Economic, Industrial, and Managerial Coordination between Japan and the U.S. in Japan, the Special Conference on Time and Consumer Behavior in Canada, Global Trends Business Conference in Mexico, the Association for Consumer Research European Conference in Sweden and France, and the Asian Consumer and Family Economics Asso- ciation in Malaysia, China, and Korea. He has played an integral role in the establishment and success of the Asian Consumer and Family Economics Association and the International Society for Quality of Life Studies.

Dr. Abdel-Ghany has been a consultant to the Agency for International Development, USDA, to design and analyze the Egyptian subsidized food consumption program. He was invited to the University of Qatar to review the curricula in human ecology. He has served visiting professor- ships at the University of British Columbia, the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, and Chiba University in Japan. Currently, he serves as director of international affairs for the College of Human Environmental Sci- ences, University of Alabama.

Both undergraduate and graduate students have great respect for Dr. Abdel-Ghany. Because of his strength as a researcher, students have come from across the U.S. and from other countries to the University of Alabama to benefit from his mentoring. No graduate student of his has failed to publish from his or her thesis; thus, he has played a major role in developing the next generation of scholars in our area.

In addition to his contributions as a researcher and teacher, Dr. Abdel- Ghany has provided valuable service to many professional organizations. A member of the American Council on Consumer Interests since 1972, he has chaired numerous committees and served as a member of the board of direc- tors from 1977 to 1979. Currently, he is treasurer of the organization, a role that has earned him the distinguished title of MK Money. He has played an active role in other professional organizations, including the Eastern Regional Family Economic-Home Management Association, the Western Regional Family Economic-Home Management Association, and the Amer- ican Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, among others.

Dr. Abdel-Ghany continues to make a valued and timely contribution to the field. His dedication to quality research has set standards of excel- lence in consumer and family sciences. His high standards of professional and ethical conduct throughout his career are exemplary. Respect for his work is international in scope. Thus, in every respect, he is truly a distin- guished fellow.