“St. Mary’s has always been a university that encourages
public service, so we have students who really have that as one of their goals.”
Dr. Larry Hufford, Professor, Graduate International Relations

According to the Office of the Director General, Foreign Service Office, US Department of State, St. Mary’s University has produced 21 Foreign Service Officers and three Civil Service Officers. In addition, 83 students have participated in internships abroad. While not all of these students have been from the International Relations Program, it is still a strong indicator of the dedication and empowerment that St. Mary’s University students carry away with their education. For more details and personal stories from faculty, students and alumni, see our Gold & Blue magazine at www.stmarytx.edu/gold&blue

National Chengchi University chooses two

Elizabeth Zamarripa and Jennifer Butler have been accepted into the inter-disciplinary doctoral program in Asia-Pacific Studies at National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Elizabeth and Jennifer received their MA in International Relations this past May (2009). Only 13 students were accepted into the Ph.D. program in Asia-Pacific Studies. Elizabeth and Jennifer were the only two accepted from the United States. Other countries represented are: Czech Republic, Germany, Chile, Bangladesh, Latvia, Russia, Canada, Estonia, Nicaragua, and the Netherlands.

Focus On: Ambassador Eugene L. Scassa

Ambassador Scassa was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He attended Geneva College and served with the U.S. Army in Metz, France, before entering the United States Foreign Service. He is a graduate of the National War College. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree from St. Mary's University.

During his years of service, Ambassador Scassa served in positions of increasing responsibility around the world, including Panama, Ecuador, Gabon, Mozambique, Mexico, Zambia, Iceland, Jamaica, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and Belize.

He also served in Washington on three different occasions, as Post Management Officer in the Bureau fo African Affairs, as Division Chief and Assignments of Officer for the Middle East and South Asia, and as Executive Director (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State) of the Latin American Bureau, where he was responsible for supporting 47 diplomatic establishments, thousands of employees and managing a budget exceeding $400M per year. His area of responsibility was Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Ambassador Scassa volunteered to help in Beirut on two occasions, once following the bombing of the Embassy in 1984, and again in the spring of 1985 when TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and Americans taken hostage. Earlier in his career, Scassa was sent on temporary duty assignments to the former Belgian Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, and Madagascar. He is the recipient of many Department of State Awards for Superior Performance and has also been recognized by the Secretary of State for his aggressive efforts to promote meaningful equal employment opportunities for minorities and women.

President George Herbert Walker Bush nominated Mr. Scassa as Ambassador to Belize. He was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate. Ambassador Scassa served in Belize for approximately four years and was then assigned as Diplomat in Residence and Visitng Professor of International Relations at St. Mary's University.

Ambassador Scassa served as a delegate to the 51st United Nations General Assembly as Senior Area Adviser for Latin America. While at the United Nations Ambassador Scassa addressed the General Assembly on two topics related to Cuba: human rights and the U.S. trade embargo.

Following his retirement from the Foreign Service, Ambassador Scassa continued at St. Mary's, taking on temporary assignments for the Department of State, including Honduras, Colombia, Chile, and Cuba. He has served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the San Antonio World Affairs Council. He is the founder of the San Antonio Model Organization of American States which is now in its 13th year.

Ambassador Scassa serves as International Scholar-in-Residence at St. Mary's University.

News

Aaron Tyler recently presented at the International Day for Tolerance at Angelo State University. His presentation was titled "Tolerance Revisited: Finding Community through Diversity." Read more about it here.