Former U of A Faculty Member, CIA Analyst Robert Monson Dies

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Robert A. Monson, who taught in the political science department at the University of Arkansas for 22 years before joining the CIA, passed away May 22 at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He was 76 years old.

Monson originally studied to be a Catholic priest, but later attended Georgetown University, where he earned a doctorate in political science.

He joined the U of A faculty as an assistant professor in 1968, served as acting chair of the political science department and acting associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and left the university at the end of 1990.

He had a distinguished 22-year career as an intelligence analyst with the CIA, working in Germany during the re-unification, in Ireland during the sectarian unrest known as “The Troubles,” and, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as a liaison with the Department of Transportation, working to enhance national security. He was known for his ability to successfully share his analytical insight across a variety of departments. He retired in 2010.

His friends and colleagues from both the U of A and the CIA remember him as a caring and sensitive man of wit, charm and humor, a lifelong learner, always striving to deepen his understanding of the world, while taking every opportunity to teach and counsel others.