70 MARCH-APRIL 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL RETIREMENT SUPPLEMENT Africa and delivered a (premature?) talk to faculty on the coming centrality of multilateral diplomacy. If you seek a full faculty position, it certainly helps to have the title of ambassador, but it is not required. There are about a dozen universities around the country that explicitly employ former foreign affairs professionals as full faculty members. Among them are Georgetown, George Washington, Princeton, Davidson, the University of Colorado, Boston University, Simmons University, Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the University of Virginia. For more leads, please consult the article Jillian Burns and I wrote on the subject in the January-February 2020 FSJ. [Also see the January-February 2015 FSJ Focus on teaching diplomacy.] You can also get your foot in the door through guest lectures and adjunct teaching (which is notoriously poorly compensated but may help you learn if you enjoy the work). With most universities facing increasing budget pressures, some are not filling vacated faculty slots and will need more adjunct faculty to teach classes. Taking the initiative to reach out to universities to offer your services may pay dividends in the current environment. An easy way to get started is to speak to civic associations and the like. I recently delivered a talk called “The Diplomat: Fact or Fiction?” to the Wellesley Club in Massachusetts based on the popular Netflix series “The Diplomat.” In 2024 I was fortunate to receive the Gitner Family Prize for Faculty Excellence. In a sign of appreciation for what practitioners bring to the academy, one of the student nominations noted: “What sets Professor Storella apart is his commitment to go beyond conventional teaching methodologies. He seamlessly integrates his wealth of real-world experiences into his classroom, bridging the gap between theory and practice.” Despite all the turmoil in international affairs—and maybe in part because of it—students want to learn what we know, and they hope to do what we did. You have a wealth of experience to share that students and universities will value. n Ambassador Mark Storella (left), Zambian Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane (center), and Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao shake hands on signing the PEPFAR framework in November 2010. This photo appeared on the May 2017 FSJ cover. U.S. EMBASSY LUSAKA
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