The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

B y the time this issue of the Foreign Service Journal ap- pears, the Senior Seminar will have passed quietly into State Department history, ending nearly half a century of sustained and impressive contributions by its graduates to the conduct and creation of foreign policy. Considering that distinguished track record, the bad news was deliv- ered in a strangely low-key way: a rou- tine departmental notice dated Aug. 15, 2003, announced that the course would be terminated upon the gradu- ation of the 46th Seminar class on June 4, 2004. The notice went on to promise that “beginning in the fall of 2004, the Senior Seminar will become a series of shorter, stand-alone train- ing events relevant to executives at the senior-most ranks of the national security community.” Speaking as an alumnus of the 13th Senior Seminar, I think the decision to terminate the class was unfortu- nate, both for the Foreign Service as an institution and for the many col- leagues who could have benefited from taking the course. I can certain- ly understand that for mid-level and junior personnel, the issue seems somewhat remote. But at a mini- mum, the seminar deserves an appro- priate send-off; hence this column. Fostering Executive Excellence The Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM 2724.3) describes the course as follows: “The Senior Seminar is a nine-month program conducted by the Foreign Service Institute and offers the highest level of executive training in foreign affairs offered by the U.S. government. Each year a limited number of highly qualified Foreign Service and Civil Service per- sonnel at the grades of FE-OC, SES, FO-1, and GS and/or GM-15, from the Department of State and other agencies are chosen for this course, based upon past performance and current potential, and in accordance with merit principles.” Although the size of the Seminar has fluctuated from year to year since the first group met in the fall of 1957 (the most recent class had 30 partici- pants), it has remained true to that vision. But far from remaining static or stodgy, the content and methodol- ogy of the Seminar have evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of the Foreign Service. Consider the statement of purpose for the current Seminar, the 46th: “The Seminar brings together 30 career foreign affairs and national security professionals with high potential for executive-level leader- ship, and immerses them in a 41-week program in preparation for such lead- ership positions. “The objectives of the Seminar encompass both strategy and leader- ship. … The curriculum uses the president’s National Security Strategy and U.S. foreign policy and military strategies as the basis for analysis of the domestic connections. Partici- pants enhance their understanding and appreciation of senior-level inter- agency dynamics in Washington and the work of U.S. government agencies dealing with homeland security, national security and foreign affairs, as well as the roles of the Congress and state and local entities. “Participants also engage in a broad array of activities aimed at refining senior-level leadership, man- agement and tradecraft skills. The emphasis is on strategic leadership, and skills modules on subjects such as strategic planning and delivering con- gressional testimony are specifically geared to the senior officer. “To achieve its objectives, the Seminar employs an imaginative mix of dialogue with leading authorities on major current issues at home and abroad. This includes sessions with public officials, scholars, journalists, business and labor leaders, and repre- sentatives of interest groups and study trips to U.S. military bases and differ- ent regions of the United States. The integrated learning process also takes place through extensive reading, indi- vidual research assignments, case studies, group projects, simulations, public presentations, and informal A Tribute to the Senior Seminar B Y W ILLIAM S TEDMAN J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 17 S PEAKING O UT From its inception, the Senior Seminar has concentrated on conducting public diplomacy in local communities around the U.S.