Leslie C. Eliason, associate professor in the Graduate School of International Policy Studies (GSIPS) at the Monterey Institute for International Studies (MIIS), passed away on April 12, 2004 after a short illness. She was only 44.

Leslie's unexpected death is an incalculable loss for all of us who knew her as a friend, colleague, mentor, scholar, and teacher. Leslie was an outstanding scholar of comparative public policy, administrative capacity building in new democracies, and an expert on Scandinavian and especially Danish politics. Her deepest devotion and commitment was, however, to her students.

Leslie was a passionate believer in the transformative potential of education. In her relatively short career, Leslie taught thousands of students in courses ranging from Scandinavian culture, comparative public policy, quantitative and qualitative methods, EU politics, and public policy analysis.

Leslie was the source of inspiration, tireless support, and encouragement to her students. When Leslie was in the hospital shortly before her death, many of her former students sent messages and greetings to her from every corner of the world. A recurring theme in these messages was how much Leslie had inspired them to do excellent work and to finish what they had set out to do. Judging by the number of emails and cards that she received from current and former students while she was in the hospital, Leslie's influence was enormous. And the outpouring of grief from fellows and colleagues demonstrates how she so selflessly and positively affected the lives of so many with whom she worked. The University of California San Francisco Medical Center said that Leslie had set a record for patient emails—she received more than 200 in just a few weeks.

Leslie believed very much in the importance of education in facilitating and consolidating the transition to democracy in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and elsewhere. She took part in and helped to shape some of the programs and institutions set up for this purpose. During the 2003–2004 academic year, Leslie was on sabbatical leave in Budapest as a visiting fellow at the Center for Policy Studies at Central European University. While there, under the auspices of George Soros' Open Society Institute (OSI), she led several training missions in Mongolia, Budapest, and Sarajevo. She devoted much of her time in Budapest to the development of OSI policy training materials with the longer term goal of contributing vital new evidence and ideas to the current literature on public policy. It was during her training with the foundation in Bosnia that she fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer.

Leslie's research interests ranged from Scandinavian politics to international relations and democratic transitions. Her research was supported by the Fulbright Foundation, the Swedish-American Bicentennial Fund, the Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung Foundation, and the German Marshall Fund. Leslie co-edited several books, including Forward to the Past (Århus University Press) with Lene Bøgh Sørensen, that analyzed political development in Hungary, Austria, and the Czech and Slovak Republics; Fascism, Liberalism and Social Democracy in Central Europe, (Århus University Press) also with Lene Bøgh Sørensen; and The Diffusion of Military Technology and Ideas (Stanford University Press) with Emily O. Goldman.

Leslie was born on August 12, 1959 in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. She spent her senior year of high school as a Rotary exchange student in Denmark, an experience that marked the beginning of her longstanding personal and professional ties with Denmark. She earned a B.A. in Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia in 1981. At UVA, Leslie was vice president of the Student Body, and was awarded the Alumni Association's Distinguished Student Award. In her fourth year at Virginia, Leslie lived in one of the few student residences on the lawn, the original buildings designed and built by Thomas Jefferson. Living on the lawn is an honor bestowed to a few students each year in recognition of outstanding service to the University. Upon graduation at UVA, Leslie went to Denmark for a year on a Marshall Fund scholarship at Århus University.

When she returned from Århus, Leslie began her graduate studies at Stanford University and received her Ph.D. in political science in1988. Leslie's first appointment after her Ph.D. was in the Scandinavian Department at the University of Washington. In 1990 she moved to the Graduate School of Public Affairs. In 1997 Leslie was appointed associate professor at the Monterey Institute for International Studies.

Throughout her professional career, Leslie left an indelible mark on the institutions and the people she touched. She contributed to strengthening the Area Studies program in the Scandinavian Department at the University of Washington, helped to restructure the international gateway and Humphrey Fellows Program at the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and played a leading role in revamping the curriculum at the Graduate School of International Policy Studies at Monterey. Leslie felt that she had found her niche in her work with OSI and CEU/CPS. Leslie was an impatient teacher and scholar in the sense that she wanted to make a difference in the best and quickest possible way. In the CEU/CPS and OSI's training missions she saw limitless opportunities to have immediate impact.

The words of Dean Amy Sands of the Monterey Institute are indicative of the sense of loss we all feel: “During her time in Monterey, she made substantial and unique contributions that reflected her warmth and care for students; her sharp and inquisitive intellect; and her enthusiasm for her work both as a teacher and policy researcher. Leslie was known for her intense and passionate commitment to anything and anyone she cared for and this was reflected in her efforts to maintain the integrity and quality of our curriculum, in her role as a teacher and advisor, and in her intellectual and personal empathy for others. As one of her colleagues described her, she was a standard setter, problem solver, and mentor to her students and her faculty colleagues.”

In her spare time, Leslie loved to cook, garden, and travel. She practiced yoga, and taught yoga classes at the Yoga Center of Carmel. In the past few years Leslie had become an avid student of Buddhist philosophy, and these teachings were a great comfort to her during her illness.

Those of us who were lucky to know Leslie will miss her warmth, optimism, intellect and laughter. Leslie is survived by her parents, William A. and Nancy Carol Eliason of Punta Gorda, Florida; two brothers and sisters in law, Colonel William T. Eliason, USAF, and his wife, Debra of Yorktown, Virginia; and Charlies H. Eliason and his wife, Jane, of San Francisco. She also leaves two nephews and a niece, Michael, Alex, and Kristin Eliason, of Yorktown, Virginia. Sadly, Jane passed away a few weeks after Leslie.

Leslie's family has established a memorial fund and foundation in her honor. This foundation will be dedicated to activities that Leslie believed in. If you are interested in making contributions to honor the memory of Leslie, please send your gift to:

Leslie Eliason Memorial Foundation c/o Denise Harter 7327 SW Barnes Road, #810 Portland, OR 97225-6119