The Foreign Service Journal, April 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2021 35 ing coalitions over time. These lessons ring true to the students, many of whom have firsthand knowledge of dislocation in the face of dams, deforestation and mining in their own countries. The young people are united in their assessment that the exchange has been life-changing. They are forever affected by their time immersed in experiential learning, living with host families and developing friendships across borders. Ongoing evaluations demonstrate that participants in these exchanges develop a better understanding of the United States and acquire tangible skills with which to empower their own communities. Such experiences are the heart and soul of exchanges. No matter how sophisticated the platform or how carefully crafted the content, electronic engagement cannot take the place of les- sons learned under the Big Sky, along the bayous of Louisiana or in the halls of the U.S. Congress. But as we’ve also learned over the past year, there are ways to adapt to disruption that have introduced economies and assets to exchanges that will last beyond the pandemic. Coming to Terms with Disruption Flying back to Montana from Jakarta on Jan. 19, 2020, I tran- sited Seoul’s Incheon Airport the same day a traveler brought the novel coronavirus to South Korea. (My colleagues looked at me with alarm every time they heard my hacking, post-trip cough, as I nervously assured them that I was not Montana’s Patient Zero.) Despite this personal glimpse of the pandemic, I naively believed that the virus would be contained, and that we would soon host our next State Department exchange: aca- demic fellows in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (known by its acronym, YSEALI). As weeks passed, we frantically booked and rebooked tickets as the pandemic forced us to avoid transit through critical hubs in China, then Korea, then Japan. Eventually, it dawned on us that our constant rerouting was in vain: There was no way our fellows would make it; and even if they did, it would be to a world shut down. Their U.S. experience would then be nothing more than the view out a dorm window with no visits to Glacier National Park, the Flathead Indian Res- ervation, or even down the street to sample steak and eggs at the Oxford Tavern—where new keys were being made because until COVID-19, the doors at the Ox hadn’t been locked since 1883. Here at the University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center our mission is to foster globally minded lead- ers of integrity. This is a challenge in a state that ranks near the bottom in every assessment of internationalization, such as the number of persons who speak a second language, engage in international commercial partnerships or study abroad. The Mansfield Center—founded by Congress in 1983 to honor the legacy of Mike Mansfield, our country’s longest-serving Senate majority leader and U.S. ambassador to Japan under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan—supports K-12 and higher education across the state in both civic education and inter- national engagement with speakers, conferences, workshops, classes, research and dialogs. Exchanges are among the most important things we do. The in-person experience is the heart and soul of exchange programs. Montanan Jenny Eck, second from left, with friends made in Myanmar during a Professional Fellows Program there in October 2018. COURTESYOFTHEMANSFIELDCENTER