TRIBUTES have been paid to a “committed and dedicated” Aberystwyth University professor who died last week aged 68.

Prof Mike Foley joined the academic staff at Aberystwyth University in 1974, when he was appointed to the then-Politics Department as a lecturer in American government and politics.

Prof Foley was a leading researcher in his field and published several works including his PhD thesis which was shortlisted for the American Political Science Association’s Woodrow Wilson Award for 1981.

His research focussed primarily on US politics, including presidential politics, constitutional theory, foreign policy and the history of ideas.

His most recent book, Political Leadership: Themes, Contexts and Critiques, was published by Oxford University Press in 2013.

Prof Foley joined the newly expanded Department of International Politics in the 1980s after it was merged with the Politics Department.

Since the 1990s he served in a variety of leadership roles in international politics, including director of graduate studies and director of research, and most recently acting head and then head of department.

An Aberystwyth University spokesperson said: “Colleagues and students will remember Mike as a committed teacher, a dedicated researcher and a very kind and thoughtful man.

“Many generations of students found in Mike a sympathetic ear and a willingness to listen to their problems and offer moral and practical support.

“Mike was a quiet man with a keen intellect and a dry sense of humour.

“He will be greatly missed.”