Joseph Mukuni is a prince among men.
He is also a real prince.
Not your standard resume line for a collegiate associate professor in the School of Education, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Humanities. But Mukuni grew up in a royal family in Zambia, a landlocked southern African country that was once part of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
From a young age, he had the philosophy of Ubuntu, which values community, kindness, selflessness and respect for others. “You grow up remembering that you are a potential leader of your people, so you have to worry about other people,” he said. “You gotta love them.”
While Mukuni’s brother ended up king of their community of 50,000, Mukuni has continued to apply Ubuntu to his teaching and research in career and technical education, even writing a book on Ubuntu in cross-cultural communications.
He is the only Virginia Tech faculty member from Zambia, adding another country to the 80-plus represented by an increasingly global faculty.
These numbers are increasing. With the Office of International Support Services providing visa support, 191 full-time employees come from China, 90 from India, 35 from Iran, 33 from Canada and 32 from South Korea. But several countries, among them Sweden, Tanzania, Algeria, Azerbaijan and Morocco, claim only one Virginia Tech employee.
“World-class faculty members are key to Virginia Tech’s excellence in teaching, discovery and engagement,” said Don Hempson, associate vice president for international affairs. “In order for the university to continue to be a global destination for talent, we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to attract talented faculty, staff and researchers from around the world and help foster an environment where which they can thrive.”
To celebrate International Education Week, three faculty members from underrepresented countries—Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, and Zambia—recounted how life in their country influenced their research, their teaching, and their journey to Virginia Tech.
