Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
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The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (commonly abbreviated SFS) is a school within Georgetown University in Washington, DC, United States.
Founded in 1919 - six years before the U.S. Foreign Service - it was named after its first dean, Father Edmund A. Walsh, S.J.. Walsh founded the school as a result of his experiences at the Versailles Conference of 1919, where he believed U.S. diplomats to have been inadequately trained to meet the needs stemming from America's expanding global involvement. The Walsh School of Foreign Service is the oldest school of international relations in the United States. It is regarded as one of the leading institutions for the study of diplomacy and international law in the world. In addition to many national leaders, including an American President, the supreme commander of NATO, a long serving C.I.A. Director and the minority whip of the U.S. Senate, SFS counts as alumni more diplomats in the U.S. Foreign Service than any other school, earning it the nickname the "West Point of the U.S. diplomatic corps." International leaders from SFS include the current President of the European Commission, the King of Jordan and the President of the Philippines.
As of 2004, the enrollment was 1,400 undergraduates seeking a Bachelor of Foreign Service, and 500 graduate students seeking a Masters Degree or joint Masters/Ph.D. Undergraduate concentrations leading to a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) include International Economics, International Political Economy, International Politics, Science, Technology and International Affairs, Culture and Politics, Regional and Comparative Studies and International History. Master of Arts (MA) programs include programs in Arab Studies, German and European Studies, Latin American Studies, Russian and Eastern European Studies and Security Studies. The only Master of Science (MS) program is the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS). The current Dean of the school is Robert Gallucci. Notable faculty members include Madeline Albright, Anthony Lake, Donald McHenry and George Tenet. Notable faculty with expertise in national and international politics from Georgetown University at large, who students from SFS have access to, include Jeane Kirkpatrick and Jose Maria Aznar.
The Walsh School of Foreign Service is the most prestigious school at Georgetown University and is regarded as one of the top, and by many in the academic, diplomatic and political communities, as the top school in the country for political science and international affairs. Its undergraduates are among the best and brightest in the nation and their credentials are of such a high level that even such top institutions as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University and Stanford University find themselves competing to enroll students who have also been admitted to SFS. The graduate programs are similarly competitive.
In 2005 the SFS joined four other U.S. universities in opening a campus in Education City in Doha, Qatar. All costs for the development of this campus are paid for by the non-profit Qatar Foundation. The requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree are the same as those of the Washington campus. The only major available will be International Politics. Classes will start in August 2005 with 25 students. Enrollment will expand to 100 within four years.
Famous alumni include:
- Bill Clinton (1968)
- José Manuel Durão Barroso (1984)
- George Casey (1970)
- Henry Cuellar (1978)
- Simcha Dinitz (1953)
- Paula Dobriansky (1977)
- Richard Durbin (1966)
- Paul Erdman (1955)
- Felipe, Prince of Asturias (1995)
- Luis Fortuno (1982)
- Jamie Gangel (1977)
- Linda Gradstein(1985)
- Dan Henninger (1971)
- James L. Jones (1966)
- Patrick F.Kennedy (1972)
- King Abdullah(1987)
- Lane Kirkland (1948)
- Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (1968)
- John Cardinal O'Connor (1970)
- Kate Snow (1990)
- Nancy Soderberg (1984)
- George Tenet (1976)
- Marcus Wallenberg (1980)
- B. Joseph White (1969)
- David Welch (1975)
- Kateryna Yushchenko-Chumachenko (1982)
External link
- Official site (http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/)