Prof. Nimick grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh PA, received a B.A. in French Language and Civilization from Princeton, and prepared in Chinese in the Language Schools at Middlebury College before a stint as a foreign student and English instructor at Fudan University in Shanghai. Upon his return he joined the Chinese Linguistics Project at Princeton to support work on a new Chinese language textbook. Courses in Classical Chinese led to an interest in history, graduate work in East Asian Studies at Princeton, and a Ph.D. He joined the West Point faculty in 1993.
A.B. in French Language and Culture- Princeton University
M.A. and Ph.D. in East Asian Studies - Princeton University
Research Interests
Adminstration, Governance, Character
Current Research
Missionary experience in Ningbo China
Selected Publications
Local Administration in Ming China: The Changing Roles of Magistrates, Prefects, and Provincial Officials. Ming Studies Research Series, No. 5. Edward L. Farmer, Romeyn Taylor, Ann Waltner, eds. Minneapolis: Society for Ming Studies, 2008
“Mapping the Background: The Uncertain Influence of the Ming State and Imperial Leadership.” In The Ming World, Kenneth M. Swope, ed. New York: Routledge, [in press] 2019.
“When a Judge Becomes More than a Judge: Changes in Local and Regional Administration in the Ming Dynasty as Seen through the Role of the Prefectural Judge.” Ming Studies, no. 77 (April, 2018): 6-26.
“The Selection of Local Officials Through Recommendation in Fifteenth-Century China,” in Toung Pao, no. 91 (2005): 125-182.
“Missionary Women’s Outreach to Poor Women in China: Origins of the Industrial Class Strategy.” Journal of Presbyterian History (1997) 98, no. 1 (2020): 4–17.
“The Romance of Mission: Mary E. Morrison in China, 1860-1876.” Journal of Presbyterian History (1997) 100, no. 2 (2022): 72–90.