The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

Service Institute, who asserted that the Senior Seminar format is not the only way to train leaders to meet future challenges. The director fur- ther noted that FSI offers a variety of other programs for that purpose, such as the Senior Executive Thres- hold Seminar. However, these courses only run a few days and do not yet include offi- cers from other agencies. Thus, while there is an important place for such instruction, they are no substitute for the kind of in-depth, long-term train- ing that the Senior Seminar offered. Indeed, I would contend that this is not a zero-sum game: both approaches could be conducted with only a modest increase in the department’s budget. A Proud Legacy The Senior Seminar served this nation well for 46 years, offering senior officers of all foreign affairs agencies and departments much needed opportunities for: • reflecting on current policies and practices and on ways to improve them, something the demands of their everyday job responsibilities otherwise precluded; • exchanging views and concerns about U.S. foreign relations with leaders and citizens in communities in major regions of this country; • establishing close working rela- tionships with members of other agencies and departments involved in foreign affairs; • understanding the missions and responsibilities of other agencies in the conduct of U.S. foreign affairs; • interacting with recognized lead- ers in a variety of fields so as to deter- mine what makes good leaders; and • gaining an appreciation of the geographic and functional areas of foreign affairs other than those they have been involved with. It could and should continue to do so. My hope is that sometime soon, the department will recognize this and recreate the Senior Seminar or a similar program. William Stedman, a retired Senior Foreign Service officer, was a member of the 13th Senior Seminar. He is cur- rently the director of the Education and Culture Program for Partners of the Americas, an NGO whose mission is to bring together citizen volunteers from Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States to improve the lives of people across the Western Hemisphere. 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 19 S P E A K I N G O U T