Eric Spears, Ph.D.
Associate Professor / Executive Director, Center for Global Engagement
Center for Global Engagement
Associate Professor
History & Geography
Schuster Center 117
Geographic Information Systems, Geography, Latin American Studies
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Geography, West Virginia University, 2004M.A., International Political Economy, The University of Warwick, 1995
B.A., Geography, Marshall University, 1992
Biography
Dr. Eric Spears is an associate professor of geography and holds the Mildred Miller
Fort Foundation Eminent Scholar and Chair of International Education. Trained as a
geographer, Dr. Spears teaches geography and global studies courses to undergraduate
students. He also serves as the executive director for the Center for Global Engagement
and oversees education abroad, international student and scholar services, international
student recruitment and admissions, and on-campus co-curricular programming.
As the senior geographer at CSU, Dr. Spears coordinates the undergraduate geography
minor, GIS certificate program, international studies certificate program, and Asian
Studies minor. His research focuses on political ecology in Brazil and the US Southeastern
coastline. In addition, he focuses on East Asian political economy, in particular
with China's role in the world economy.
Dr. Spears is also part of a multi-year global grant project in Guatemala that is
partnered with Rotary International, CEPA Foundation, and and the Guatemalan NGO,
FUNCOLI. The grant focuses on delivering ecological 'rocket stoves' and latrines to
people of Mayan ethnicity in the village of Vuelta Grande.
Academic Areas
Latin America (Brazil)East Asia (China)
Environmental Geography
Urban Geography
Political Economy
Research Interests
Dr. Spears recently published research focusing on the impacts of sea-level rise on minority communities in coastal Georgia. In addition, he has published on the political economy of higher education with Brazil's public universities.Dr. Spears is currently co-authoring a book with CSU archivist, Mr. David Owings, called, Cartographic America: Selections from the J. Kyle Spencer Map Collection (publication date: Summer 2023). This book will be published through the Columbus State University Press.
He is also developing an article that focuses on the geopolitical impact of Chinese foreign-direct investment (FDI) in parts of Latin America. This research should be completed by the end of 2023.