The Tun Abdul Razak Chair was established at Ohio University's Department of Southeast Asian Studies in 1980 in honor of Tun Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1970 to 1976. The Razak Chair was endowed jointly by a grant from the Malaysian government and matching funds from American firms operating in Malaysia. It is the first such chair to be established by a foreign government at any North American university. The Razak Professor, who is a senior Malaysian scholar selected by the Malaysian Ministry of Education in consultation with the Razak Council and Ohio University, has a two-year residency at Ohio. The Razak Professor conducts seminars at Ohio University for undergraduate and graduate students in his or her respective areas of expertise. The professor also organizes the Tun Abdul Razak Distinguished Lecture in his or her second year. The Distinguished Razak Lecture is usually held in Malaysia where it attracts government and corporate participants, as well as Ohio University alumni in Malaysia who number around more than 2400. The past Distinguished Razak Lectures have showcased luminaries such as Dr Clifton Wharton Jr., former US Deputy Secretary of State, Dr Charles J. Ping, former President and President Emeritus of Ohio University, the late Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali Shafie, politician and former Foreign Minister of Malaysia, the late Dr Surin Pitsuwan, former Secretary General of ASEAN, and most recently Dr John Sabraw, Professor of Art at Ohio University. The first Razak Professor was Syed Muhammad Naguib al-Attas, a Malaysian Muslim philosopher. Ohio University hosted its fourteenth Razak professor, Professor Dr Habibah Ashari, a professor of Education from Universiti Teknologi MARA from June 2011 to July 2014. She is the first professor from UiTM to be appointed as the Tun Abdul Razak Chair-holder, and is only the second woman to be appointed to the prestigious chair in its more than 30 years in existence. Professor Habibah said that her appointment is an honour not only to her institution but also to women academics who aspire to hold chairships, typically the domain of male academics. The 15th Razak Professor was Prof Jayum Jawan from Universiti Putra Malaysia. The chair is currently vacant as Ohio University and the Malaysian Ministry of Education are still in discussion regarding the appointment.
