Celebrating the Past, Sharing the Present, and Looking Toward the Future:
Annual Fletcher Convocation 2006
On the evening of September 6, faculty, alumni, returning students and incoming first-years gathered to celebrate the 73rd Annual Convocation. This year, the Fletcher community reflected on global change as well as the transformation of the school itself, and honored two particularly accomplished alumni.
Following an excellent performance by “The Ambassachords,” Fletcher’s own a capella group, Dean Stephen Bosworth introduced the evening as “one of the most important events of the academic year.” Adding a bit of levity to the ceremony, he quipped, “Today constitutes a new beginning – and for those returning from their summer breaks, it marks the beginning of the end.”
Along with the current Fletcher community, alumni from the classes of 1937, 1956, 1948, and others were among the audience. The Honorable William B. Dale, the president of the Class of 1947, presented the annual Distinguished Leadership Award to Dr. Janet Norwood, a 1946 Fletcher graduate. The award, Dale said, is given to an alumnus who “contributes in an outstanding manner to the craft of diplomacy,” noting that the class had an “easy time” nominating Norwood for this year’s honor.
Norwood served as the U.S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics for more than 12 years under Presidents Carter and Reagan, followed by seven years as a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute. Norwood currently chairs two Congressionally-mandated studies: a National Academy of Sciences review of Title VI and Fulbright-Hays international programs, as well as an Academy of Public Administration study of the social and economic impacts of off-shoring. Perhaps most remarkable, Dale noted, is the fact that Norwood embarked upon her accomplished career and achieved remarkable professional milestones after she devoted years to raising her children full-time.
From this rich experience, Norwood shared personal and professional advice with current Fletcher students in her alumni address, “How a Globalized World has Changed Our View of Unemployment.” Reflecting on the radically-changed nature of global public opinion and the role of the U.S., she noted that “the world has become much more interconnected – and far more dangerous.”
Discussing some of her past work and her experience in staying true to her beliefs in the face of powerful opposition, Norwood closed with sound advice. “Professional ethics are important, and you should bring them with you to whatever job you take,” she said.
The convocation address was delivered by a highly distinguished alumnus of The Fletcher School, the Honorable C. David Welch. Welch, who received a Master’s degree from Fletcher in 1977, is now the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and has previously served as U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Saudi Arabia and as U.S. Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Welch expressed his pleasure at returning to Fletcher for the first time since his graduation. From his unique perspective through a life of foreign service and as a key U.S. diplomat in one of the world’s most volatile regions, he shared some insights into the ambitions of the U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He touched upon recent events in Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as the changing nature of the region’s population and economy.
“While making progress on the Arab-Israeli conflict remains a core concern, the ability of the international community and determined states in the region to improve the economic and political situation in the many nations of the region remain the only way to create the conditions for real development and lasting stability,” Welch said. “To the degree that we and they are successful the ambitions of radicals and extremists will fail.”
He continued, “We are under no illusions. We know how hard conflict resolution and reform in the region will be. But I am an optimist and I think we can succeed. As I said before, the Middle East is a region in transition and it has come to a crossroads. U.S. leadership is key. How we respond will define our relationship with the region for the foreseeable future.”
Other highlights of the evening included Professor Joel Trachtman’s presentation of the Alfred P. Rubin Prize in International Law to MALD student Garth Schofield, spirited faculty convocation remarks by Professor Alan Wachman, and a warm and heartfelt student address by second-year MALD student Catherine Ross.
Following the evening’s program, students, faculty, alumni, and guests attended an outdoor reception. Alumni and current students enjoyed open dialogue, sharing their experiences of Fletcher past and present, as well as their hopes for the future.
