The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

What Happened at State? The Senior Seminar must have met its goals, for it operated for 46 academic-year sessions. Many of the graduates went on to serve as ambas- sadors, general and flag officers, and members of the Senior Executive Service. The reasons for closing the Seminar were never made clear to those who closely watched it, such as the officers and board members of the Senior Seminar Alumni Associa- tion. Various officials gave different explanations. Some said that it was elitist because only about 15 State members attended the course annu- ally. Others said that it was too expen- sive or that the course involved too much travel. Still others said that it lacked academic rigor or structure. And some said that State was not get- ting its money’s worth out of it because some graduates were retiring shortly after completing the program. In any case, in 2004 the last Senior Seminar concluded. In its place State conducts several shorter courses on a temporary-duty basis. While these courses may fill a niche, they have one serious shortcoming: the lack of the kind of long-term, relationship-build- ing interaction that the Senior Semin- ar fostered among senior officers across the executive branch. The Senior Seminar as it evolved over five decades is unlikely to return. But as the American and Canadian cases show, it is possible to adapt and reform to meet a need. The best of the original program can be revived and the undesirable can be discarded. If the old course was elitist, ex- pand the membership. If the old course had too many members who were simply “available for assignment for a year,” then establish a thorough selection process to ensure that only officers who have demonstrated exceptional growth potential are sent to the course, thereby making it a desirable assignment. If participants 14 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 S P E A K I N G O U T