Command and General Staff College Foundation News - 24

FEATURE

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT MARY

Ambassador
Kennedy returns to
Fort Leavenworth
Ambassador Kennedy, right, tours the University of Saint Mary's "Bernard H.
Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection," which contains more than 10,000 items and
memorabilia including one of two known letters written by Mrs. Lincoln and
co-signed by Lincoln.

by Elizabeth Hill,
Simons Center Program Assistant
Ambassador (Ret.) Laura Kennedy returned for a
Fort Leavenworth in April, again serving
as the DACOR visiting professor of diplomacy for the U.S.
Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) Class of
2017. Kennedy, who previously served as the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs among
many other positions over a nearly 40-year diplomatic career,
visited Fort Leavenworth April 4-6. She previously visited
in December 2016 and spent time with CGSC's School for
Advanced Military Studies (SAMS).
On the first evening of her visit, Ambassador Kennedy
attended the opening reception for the spring 2017 National
Security Roundtable. At the reception, Kennedy spoke of about
geopolitical issues around the world and the importance of
diplomacy in today's contentious political climate.
From April 5-6, Kennedy attended student seminars at CGSC.
On the morning of April 5, she visited with and spoke to students
in "The Interagency and National Security" and "National
Security Policy Formation" electives, where they discussed
interagency operations overseas, the State Department, and the
U.S. Agency for International Development. That afternoon
she attended "Eurasia's Evolving Operational Environment,"
where the conversation focused on Ukraine and the conflict with
Russia. On April 6, Kennedy visited "Statecraft and Diplomacy"
and "Current Strategic Concepts". In these courses, Kennedy

second visit to

PHOTO BY MARK H. WIGGINS

spoke about diplomatic tools and diplomatic power.
Ambassador Kennedy also visited with undergraduate students
at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas on April
6. At the University of Saint Mary, Kennedy spoke about her
experiences during her diplomatic career, and encouraged the
students to consider careers in the foreign or civil service. The
Saint Mary students had a lot of questions for Kennedy, and
relished the opportunity to meet a retired ambassador. Later
that evening, Kennedy met with students from the University of
Saint Mary's Lawrence D. Starr Center for Peace and Justice in
our Global Society. Kennedy also received a private tour of the
university's Abraham Lincoln collection during her visit.
Once again, Kennedy expressed her admiration of the students
and faculty at CGSC, remarking that she greatly enjoyed the
opportunity to be part of the DACOR program.
The CGSC Foundation administers this program in conjunction
with the DACOR organization in Washington, D.C., and with
generous support and involvement of the University of Saint
Mary and its Lawrence D. Starr Center for Peace and Justice in
our Global Society.
For more information see the online articles:
http://thesimonscenter.org/ambassador-kennedy-returnsto-fort-leavenworth/; http://thesimonscenter.orgdijkermanvisits-fort-leavenworth/

USAID career minister visits Fort Leavenworth
Career Minister Dr. Dirk Dijkerman
recently visited Fort Leavenworth as part
of a Simons Center special speakers
program. Dijkerman is a retired U.S.
Agency for International Development
(USAID) Career Minister with a vast amount
of experience in the agency, most notably
serving as the Executive Coordinator for
the U.S. Ebola Task Force in 2014-2015.
While at Fort Leavenworth, Dijkerman
attended various elective courses at the
U.S. Army Command and General Staff
College, discussing the various interagency
and international challenges and the

24 - CGSC FOUNDATION NEWS

methods he used to successfully address
them. He also spoke at Park University in
Parkville, Missouri.
Dijkerman also attended one of the
Simons Center's InterAgency Brown-Bag
Lectures, where Mr. Patrick J. Wesner,
the Command and General Staff College
Distinguished Chair for Development
Studies, led a discussion on the roles and
missions of USAID. Dijkerman contributed
to Wesner's presentation, speaking about
his experience at USAID, particularly
about his experience on the U.S. Ebola
Task Force.
www.cgscfoundation.org

http://www.thesimonscenter.org/ambassador-kennedy-returns-to-fort-leavenworth/ http://www.thesimonscenter.org/ambassador-kennedy-returns-to-fort-leavenworth/ http://thesimonscenter.org/dijkerman-visits-fort-leavenworth/ http://thesimonscenter.org/dijkerman-visits-fort-leavenworth/ http://www.cgscfoundation.org

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