The Foreign Service Journal, November 2011

70 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / NOV EMB E R 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S A FSA’s book publishing division, Foreign Service Books, has expand- ed its outreach program in con- junctionwith the April publication of the third edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy : Diplomacy at Work . The program aims to increase awareness of the work of the Foreign Service and of AFSA. Like the previous editions, this all-new, expand- ed volume of Inside a U.S. Embassy is addressed to four main audiences: stu- dents, FS candidates, military personnel and embassies (for outreach). Among the first to get a glimpse of the newest edition was a group of students from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and Inter- national Affairs, who visitedAFSA inApril on the day the final proofs were sent to the printer. Having read the second edi- tion for their course on diplomacy, the students showed an impressive under- standing of, and interest in, the Foreign Service, and asked detailed questions. Introducing the FS During 2010 and 2011, Inside a U.S. Embassy editor Shawn Dorman con- ducted a seminar on the Foreign Service career as part of the Foreign Policy Association’s “Foreign Policy University” program in New York City. The program was then expanded to Washington, D.C., where AFSApartnered with FPA for the spring 2011 semester, hosting not only the FS seminar, but pre- sentations on careers in international development and the United Nations. These programs introduced the Foreign Service to hundreds of students and pro- fessionals looking for a new career path. Aspart of ouroutreachto the local com- munity, Ms. Dorman appeared at the ArlingtonCentral Library inArlington,Va., onMay 26. Approximately 50 members of the public, whose backgrounds and familiarity with the Foreign Service were diverse, attended the talk and engaged in a lively question-and-answer session. Later in the summer, while on a per- sonal visit to Indonesia and East Timor, Ms. Dorman held book talks at both Embassy Jakarta and Embassy Dili. During the annual conference of State Department foreign policy advisers to the U.S. military, held in late May in Washington, D.C., AFSA presented the book to almost every current adviser. Many were already familiar with it and expressed appreciation for the user- friendly introduction to the Foreign Service. Addressing Students On June3,AFSAwas representedat the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders at the University of Marylandwith an information table high- lightingAFSA’s ForeignService Journal and Inside a U.S. Embassy , as well as State Department recruitmentmaterials (intern- shipbrochureandhiringguide). Ambassa- dorEuniceReddick,StateDepartmentdiplo- mat-in-residence for theWashington area, gave a well-attended talk on the FS career at the conference, an annual gathering of more than 500 young female leaders. Meanwhile,PotomacBooks,distributor for the new edition, took Inside a U.S. Embassy to Book Expo America in New York City inMay, as well as to the confer- ence of the Society for Historians of Inter- nationalRelationsinAlexandria,Va.,inJune. On Sept. 21, Ms. Dorman, joined by AFSA Membership Representative Kristy Pomes, led a lively discussion about the Foreign Service career with a group of stu- dents from The Johns Hopkins School of International Studies. WhileSAIS students tend to knowquite a bit about the Foreign Service,theystillhadmanyinterestingques- tions. AFSA Governing Board member MatthewAsadajoinedthegroupforthefinal part of the hour-and-a-half event. Ms.Dormanalso spoke atGeorgetown UniversityandGeorgeWashingtonUniver- sity on Oct. 4, with excellent attendance at bothevents. Inside aU.S. Embassy has long been popular amonguniversitycareer cen- ters, and has been adopted for more than 45 courses at universities andmilitary insti- tutions. Outreach events are planned for Nov. 2 at Boston University and the Fletcher School of International Affairs at Tufts University. VisitAFSA’sWeb site formore information at www.afsa.org/inside. Inside a U.S. Embassy hot off the press. Inset, Shawn Dorman signing a book at the launch event on May 5. On the Road with Inside a U.S. Embassy BY DANIELLE DERBES, PUBLISHING AND MARKETING ASSISTANT SHAWN DORMAN