The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

A ge is just a number; old is a state of mind. But still we groomForeign Service managers through years of on-the-job experience, plus a fewweeks of class- room training, only to quickly usher them out once they reach age 65. InmyOctober column, I reviewed aU.S.Merit Systems ProtectionBoard report that noted themost effectiveway to improve organizational performance is to improve first-level supervisors. The second part of improving organizational performance is to retain those highly skilled supervisors andmanagers. Thismonth, I will explore the mandatory retirement age issue, building on AFSA State VP Daniel Hirsch’s September column in AFSA News . There is plenty of evidence to suggest that age is, indeed, just a number. Washington Post reporter Josh Tapper noted in an Aug. 10 article that “although adults older than 65 face challenges to body and brain, the 70s and 80s also bring an abundance of social and emotional knowledge, qualities scientists are beginning to define as wisdom.” Barbara Strauch, deputy science editor at the NewYorkTimes , documents these same findings in her latest book, The Secret Life of theGrown-UpBrain (Viking, 2010) . While the growing scientific research finds that rawprocessing speedmay slow(mean- ing names are harder to remember), she writes, an aged brain is better at sizing up a situation, acting judiciously, and being wise rather than rash. And, in fact, whomdowe call whenwe have especially difficult diplomatic prob- lems? We call upon the State Department’s top troubleshooters like Special Envoy GeorgeMitchell (77) and Special Representative Stephen Bosworth (71). Somuch for the “youth and vigor” argument for the “up and out” personnel system. We need all the wisdomwe can find to tackleMiddle East peace and understandNorth Korea. As AFSA State VP Daniel Hirsch noted in his September column, many AFSA members support raising the age of mandatory retirement (now fixed at 65) to at least 67, the age at which employees born after 1960 become eligible for full ben- efits. That small changewould probably require some additional tweaks to the other variables (time-in-class limits, number of positions in each class, etc.) to ensure that entry-level officers are not adversely affected. “AFSA thinks that there are a number of sound reasons to consider raising the age of mandatory Foreign Service retirement beyond 65, including but not limit- ed to the expertise many older employees possess that is badly needed,” AFSA President Susan Johnson recently said. “It’s important to note that only career Foreign Service officers are affected by the mandatory retirement age—not polit- ical ambassadorial appointees. Why is this?” While many FS employees are still young at age 65, the Foreign Service Act of 1946 (when we adopted the Navy’s “up or out” system) has proven outdated. As it turns 65 next year, it needs significant reform. Throw out the stale water, but keep the baby FSOs —meaning all those younger than George Mitchell. ❏ DE C EMB E R 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 55 A F S A N E W S V.P. VOICE: FAS ■ BY HENRY SCHMICK Revise the Expiration Date and Throw Out the System Global Disability Movement Awards Amb. Richard and Mrs. Sharon Miles The Global Disability Movement of Bulgaria gave Ambassador Richard Miles and his wife Sharon Miles a spot in its 2009-2010 Golden Book “for their more than 10 years of support in the diplomatic and international political dialogue con- cerning…people with disabilities in Bulgaria,” as well as their leadership in rights for those with disabilities in the U.S. Congress. Richard and Sharon Miles moved to Bulgaria in 1999 and began to advocate on behalf of a disabled community that had little to no voice. Sharon, winner of AFSA’s Avis Bohlen Award in 2002, says the laws and public perceptions surround- ing the disabled in Eastern Europe are “light-years” behind what they are in the United States. While there is still plenty of work to be done, Sharon is gratified by the work of Bulgarian nongovernmental orga- nizations, having watched them blossom over a decade. “My work is modest, really,” she says. “But frankly, just a little modest work goes a long way in some of these countries.” FSI and the University of Maryland Team Up for Foreign Language Roundtable The Foreign Service Institute and the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language are teaming up on Dec. 7 for a conference on how video game technology can enhance language learning. FSI will host a Game Changers Roundtable, where major players in the California gaming community will discuss how gaming can support foreign language skills. Then on Dec. 8, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Under Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy will highlight the importance of learning foreign languages as the key speak- ers of the “Foreign Language Summit” at UMD. Find more information on the pro- gram at www.casl.umd.edu/GameChangers. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS