Ambassador Ruth Davis: Foreign Service Should Look Like America ...

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JuniorSummerInstitute Careers in Foreign Service– Ambassador Ruth Davis Discusses the Increasing Importance of America’s Diplomatic Skills Larry Levanti On June 28, Ambassador Ruth Davis addressed students participating in the Woodrow Wilson School’s Junior Summer Institute (JSI), on the value of careers in the U.S. Foreign Service, as well as the need for diversity in the U.S. diplomatic corps, declaring that “the Foreign Service should, but does not, look like America.” A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Davis is presently on detail from the Department of State serving as Distinguished Advisor for International Affairs at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Over the span of three decades of service, she has served in such positions as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, U.S. Ambassador to Benin, Consul-General in Barcelona, and has achieved the rank of Career Ambassador. Speaking to JSI students in 300 Wallace Hall, Davis highlighted the fact that “September 11, 2001, put diplomacy and international affairs on the front burner in this country. It placed an increased importance on America’s diplomatic skills.” However, she went on, “September 11 made it more urgent for our government to 4 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs call on the talents of the diverse racial and ethnic elements of this country to effectively deal with the challenges of international terrorism.” “I believe strongly,” Davis said, “that American minorities and nonminorities who value diversity can and must play a significant role in the formulation, articulation, and implementation of our nation’s foreign policy. These Americans must be more involved in the processes that define our national interest and must take a more active role in influencing American foreign policy on matters across the board.” “The Foreign Service should, but does not, look like America.” —Ambassador Ruth Davis In this context, Davis told students that “the Foreign Service offers a unique opportunity to represent this great country and its people overseas. That means advancing U.S. security, promoting America’s economic well-being, defending democracy and human rights, serving the needs of American citizens overseas, and contributing to the eradication of terrorism, drug trafficking, and environmental degradation.” For almost two decades, the Woodrow Wilson School has hosted summer institutes as part of a
Sameer Khan Courses in statistics and economics are fundamentals in public policy. The Junior Summer Institute provides both introductory and advanced courses in these areas. tradition of promoting diversity in the School’s own student body and in the public service arena. The JSI is a sevenweek program structured to introduce or strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, public speaking, and organization/time management. The goal of the program is to prepare college students for graduate study and careers in public policy and international affairs. To participate in the JSI program, applicants must be enrolled as college juniors who have one or two semesters remaining in college after completing the summer institute, and must demonstrate an interest in and commitment to cross-cultural and social issues and public service. Ambassador Davis covered the various career tracks, or “cones,” to be pursued in the Foreign Service: Management; Consular; Political; Economic; Public Diplomacy. She discussed some of the qualifications that students who are interested in careers in international affairs in general and the State Department in particular would do well to acquire. “We are looking for students who are broad-based academically and who are well versed in American history, government, culture, economics, political science, public administration and management, current affairs, and public diplomacy,” she said. She emphasized that in a post-9/11 world, “We now need to have flexible generalists who are knowledgeable about science, arms control issues, international law, and environmental issues. We need specialists who are knowledgeable about information technology, construction engineering, medical doctors and health practitioners, security officers, and office management specialists.” Davis also stressed the urgent need for current and future Foreign Service Officers to be fluent in the so-called hard languages like Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, and Russian. “Americans, I must say, have not distinguished ourselves in the foreign language arena,” she said. Davis told students that the problem was serious enough that some people make jokes on the subject. “Have you heard this one?” she asked. “You call someone who speaks three languages trilingual, someone who speaks two lan- JuniorSummerInstitute guages bilingual, and you call someone who speaks only one language an American. That is our well-earned, unfortunate reputation.” “We need students who will become diplomats with a commitment to public service, with the courage to challenge conventional wisdom, and who possess the ambition, ethics, and fortitude required to succeed in a very competitive arena,” she said. Davis concluded her talk by telling students “My goal is to continue to work at making the Foreign Service of the United States reflective of the diversity of this great country of ours. We still have a ways to go on this goal. But I dare to dream, I dare to believe that it can be done in our lifetime.” At the end of each Junior Summer Institute students present a comprehensive final report on a current policy issue that will encompass the skills acquired in their coursework, field research, policy analysis, and writing and computer workshops. Required coursework includes six weeks of classroom instruction and one week of field research in Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis; Economics for Policy Analysis; and a Policy Workshop. Biweekly luncheon seminars give students the opportunity to get more information about jobs in public service, the services the Woodrow Wilson School offers to its students and alumni, and advice from alumni in the field. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs 5 Sameer Khan
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Ambassador Ruth Davis: Foreign Service Should Look Like America ...

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