egarbe – Elliott360

March 8, 2024March 8, 2024

The International Women of Elliott Champions Women’s Leadership on Campus and Around the World

Alumni members and students of the International Women of Elliott pose for a group photo.

Formed nearly four years ago, GW’s International Women of Elliott (I/WE) is committed to women’s advancement in international affairs. I/WE Executive Circle members champion Elliott students focused on women’s leadership to ensure those who choose to lead have the resources and tools to do so.

In addition to connecting Elliott alumni and students, I/WE raises funds to provide grants for Elliott students, supporting tuition, research projects, unpaid internships, conference presentations, and other activities. In the last two academic years, I/WE has awarded an impressive $183,000 to 48 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

On this International Women’s Day, we spoke with several I/WE Executive Circle members about their participation, what the network means to them, and why women’s leadership matters.

Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, BA ’80; President, Middle East Policy Council, Washington, D.C.

I’m currently running a non-profit that focuses on policy education and bridge-building between Americans and Middle Easterners – crucial in today’s world. As a former Ambassador, I know that ensuring women participate fully in society and in international affairs is essential to a more peaceful world.

Representation is so important. It made a difference to me in forming my goals and my sense of where l belong. Sometimes seeing a woman in leadership was a spur. Sometimes seeing us missing was an even greater one!

Alexandra Garcia, MIPP ’14; Non-Profit Consultant, Washington, D.C.

Helping to create a welcoming, safe, and connected space for younger professional women is very important to me because I don’t think it really existed when I was going through my own educational journey.

I hope and expect that more and more women will come into the decision-making roles that are pivotal in advancing a more just and fair societal order around the world. Women are just as strategic and goal-driven as men, but I believe we are more attuned to and mindful of the impact of our collective actions as a human species on the citizens of the world. “Winning at all costs” has proven over and over to be a failing strategy for world affairs.

Julie Monaco, BA ’85; Managing Director and Global Head, Public Sector Banking, Citi, New York; I/WE Executive Circle Co-Chair

My Elliott School education is why I have succeeded in a career in global banking. My international affairs degree gave me the foundation of understanding and instilled a passion to continue explore and learn about all the political and economic challenges my clients in 150+ countries face every day. Throughout my career, I had fantastic mentors and teachers, both men and women, who helped me grow and contribute in a way that would not be possible without them. I participate in I/WE to provide more young people who share the I/WE mission with the vast opportunities that an Elliott School education will offer them.

Brooke Pearson, MIPP ’16; Lead Program Manager, Google Chrome Trust & Safety, Google, United Kingdom

I used to think that international policy work could only be done from a thinktank, NGO, or in government. However, I learned that there are increasingly more policy-focused roles in the private sector too. I advise young women and students to keep your horizon broad: approach your career with an open mind about where you can make an impact, and where your skills will shine.

Laura Wais, BA ’71; Underwater and Travel Photographer, San Francisco

I/WE is to me a way to connect with former and current students and faculty at the Elliott School. Being invited to join the Executive Circle is a great honor. I owe so much to my education at GW. I feel that I/WE donations help shape the future of Elliott School graduates, who will go into the world as a future generation of leaders.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and travel several times a year to take images of Africa and the Indo-Pacific regions. I share my images with different environmental nonprofits and companies to highlight what I have seen in foreign countries. This is important to me from a perspective of increasing a world view to those who may not be able to travel as I do.

February 22, 2024March 1, 2024

GW Serves: Native Washingtonian Gives Back to D.C. Public Schools

GW sophomore Eden Parker offers guidance at a student council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Eliot-Hine Middle School.

Elliott School Sophomore Eden Parker, a Stephen Joel Trachtenberg scholar, has extended her Civic Changemakers summer program work through the school year.

Authored by: Nick Erickson

GW sophomore Eden Parker offers guidance at a student council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Eliot-Hine Middle School. (Taken by William Atkins)

Every now and then, Eden Parker would offer a suggestion she probably could have at any point of the meeting. But mostly, the current George Washington University sophomore sat back and listened to a trio of adolescents at Eliot-Hine Middle School as they shared their own thoughts and ideas on how to best organize an upcoming school dance.

This was their show, after all, and she was there to offer support to the school’s student council, as she does every Wednesday afternoon when the school day ends.

A former D.C. Public School (DCPS) student herself who has performed service and civic engagement projects since her early childhood days, including with the Jack and Jill of America organization that stewards young Black leaders, Parker defines leadership as being humble and receptive to community needs.

“I don’t necessarily think of someone who is always in command or in charge, but rather someone who is sensitive to everything and is hyper conscious of the things that are happening around them and who have the will within them to change, create change or to actually question the things around them,” said Parker, who graduated from Jackson-Reed (former Woodrow Wilson) High School.

Parker, who is majoring in international affairs and Africana Studies while concentrating in international development at GW, was once in those DCPS students’ shoes with her own ambitious goals and visions. She was just seeking an opportunity to act on them, and through GW she found it. In 2022, Parker was one of 10 D.C. residents and high school graduates awarded the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship, which covers tuition, room, board, books and fees throughout four years at GW.

Once on campus, SJT scholars participate in service-oriented activities and are called on regularly to represent the university in a variety of ways. Parker, who is close and connected to many of her fellow scholars, has been inspired to give back to DCPS students, GW and other community interests since she received the scholarship. After her first year of studies at GW, Parker joined the Civic Changemakers program out of the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.

Parker helped mentor a group of young students at Sousa Middle School on a project addressing gun violence in the city. She felt inspired by their passion to solve some of the most pressing social issues in their lives and was moved by their creative approaches to the project.

“I feel like they all have incredibly powerful voices with really deep life experiences that can attest to the work that they do in terms of service and civic engagement,” Parker said. “I really enjoyed the mission of civic engagement and just general activism of the youth. It’s just so nice to see their ambition and intelligence and that they’re highly motivated to have a powerful voice. I just wanted to continue doing that.”

She jumped at the chance to continue her summer work by helping young and inspired leaders in the Eliot-Hine student council. Especially in her position as an SJT scholar, Parker has felt compelled to share her journey and some of the opportunities she has earned to those passionate DCPS students. She’ll also help the Nashman Center host DCPS students on a retreat to GW in March, giving those youth a chance to set foot on a college campus and plant the seeds of inspiration.

“Having those conversations with other DCPS students, I’m able to see where there’s a lack of awareness about resources we have and the need in D.C. schools,” Parker said. “I want to give back in that sense, just because I am a little bit more aware now.

“My interest in giving back is centered around having a connection with other D.C. natives and D.C. students and sharing our experiences together.”

Parker, too, has large aspirations, shaped in part by some of those very students she mentors. She’s passionate about poverty alleviation, access to education and honoring Black culture and heritage. Coursework at GW in international affairs and Africana Studies has allowed her to see a reflection of herself in the curriculum for what she says is really the first time. She seeks a career in international development so others can have that experience and opportunity, regardless of their backgrounds.

As her journey reaches new heights, she’ll continue to listen and be curious so she can bring others up with her. Because that’s how Parker chooses to lead.

September 6, 2023December 6, 2023

Meet the GW Institute for International Economic Policy Executive Circle’s New Chairs

Lisa Schroeter, BA ’92, and Carl Richardson, MA ’99, are stepping up to co-chair the IIEP Executive Circle, which offers strategic guidance to the GW Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP), located at the Elliott School. The global group also mentors and supports students in the Elliott School’s MA program in international economic policy.

Carl A. Richardson is a partner at Richardson Capital LLP.

Based in London, Carl jointly leads the Richardson business, a multi-generational, international investment firm with a business portfolio embedded across the world.

The independent family business was founded more than 70 years ago in the West Midlands, the heart of the United Kingdom. Current growth capital investments include an award-winning Swiss technology company, a UK financial services business, a US-based medical real estate company, and the largest avocado grower in New Zealand.

Real estate holdings encompass significant office and residential holdings, distribution centers, and leisure, and infrastructure properties.

Real estate holdings are significant in scale and content, encompassing office, residential, distribution centers, leisure, and infrastructure properties.

Carl is also Trustee of the Richardson Brothers’ Foundation, and recent past posts include Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy Reserve and Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands (representing the Royal Family in the region).

Earlier in his career Carl was an International Officer at HSBC Bank, working in London, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong. Carl was educated at King’s College London, the Sorbonne, and the George Washington University.

“As a proud alumnus of the Elliott School of International Affairs, I am delighted to now serve as co-chair of the IIEP’s Executive Circle alongside Lisa Schroeter,” Carl noted.

Lisa Schroeter, who joins Carl as co-chair, is also a passionate leader in the business world.

GW has been a formative part of Lisa’s DC experience and launched her lifelong commitment to international affairs, especially when she studied abroad in Paris and Brussels during her junior year. Living on her own in the City of Light, Lisa says, led her to “a level of independence and cultural curiosity that has been an essential part of my success, personally and professionally.”

All these experiences have contributed to Lisa’s long-standing career in trade, including the current position as Global Director of Trade & Investment Policy at Dow. In that role, Lisa sees firsthand the opportunity to bring communities together, to create development opportunities through access to innovative products and technologies, and to promote circular economy approaches for a more sustainable world.

Along with her day job, Lisa chairs the Association of Women in International Trade Trust, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a senior docent at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Her colleagues know her as an outstanding thought leader with a contagious passion for trade policy, a champion for gender equality, and a generous mentor.

“I am truly honored to co-chair the IIEP Executive Circle with Carl,” noted Lisa “We welcome the opportunity to bring our private sector perspective to the executive circle, especially engaging across the GW community – in DC and around the world. This is a unique opportunity to create dialogue for action.”

Lisa and Carl step into shoes recently worn by Deborah Lehr, MA ’89, and Frank Chi-Hong Wong, BA ’79, who, as the executive circle’s first co-chairs, established a robust dynamic for the group.

Since 2021, the executive circle’s two dozen members from around the world have become trusted advisors to IIEP’s faculty director, as well as to Elliott School Dean Alyssa Ayres. Through its philanthropy, the IIEP Executive Circle contributes to student employment at IIEP and student research with an emphasis on geo-economic policy.

In particular, IIEP Executive Circle members have supported six fellowships for students in the Elliott School’s MA program in international economic policy and 10 doctoral-level student research assistants to faculty, as well as thought-leadership programs in business, development, climate, and trade policy.

“With Deborah and Frank as inaugural co-chairs, the IIEP Executive Circle deepened our alumni community’s connection to IIEP, strengthening the institute and providing opportunities for student engagement – a consequential accomplishment,” Dean Ayres said. “We are immensely grateful to them.

“As we move ahead, I am delighted and excited that Lisa and Carl are the new chairs. Their inspiring leadership will help us to strengthen the IIEP Executive Circle and deepen interactions across the GW and Elliott School global community – students, faculty, alumni, parents, and other school leadership groups.”

The executive circle kicked off the year with the “GW International Economic Policy Breakfast” in New York on September 26. Lisa was instrumental in developing the program, which features a high-powered panel of senior financial leaders. “Bringing people together is a catalyst for great ideas,” Lisa said.

Carl also is focused on forging new global relationships that will enhance opportunities for members of the GW and Elliott School community. “The co-chairs will build synergies and create more international networking opportunities,” he said.

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Interested in joining or supporting the GW IIEP Executive Circle? Please contact Joe Strodel, assistant vice president for development, at jstrodel@gwu.edu .

August 25, 2023September 1, 2023

GW Elliott School Celebrates 125th Anniversary

This academic year, the Elliott School of International Affairs proudly commemorates the 125th anniversary of teaching international affairs at GW. Since 1898, the George Washington University has offered an unbroken succession of international affairs programs of study, beginning with the School of Comparative Jurisprudence and Diplomacy.

The school’s opening ceremony was an auspicious affair with U.S. President William McKinley and his Cabinet attending. Since then, the school has gone through 10 iterations before becoming the Elliott School, named in 1988 to honor former GW President Lloyd Elliott.

Then, as now, students received instruction from both leading scholars and policy practitioners, including Supreme Court justices, U.S. and foreign ambassadors, as well as officials in government, business, and nonprofit organizations.

Thanks to research conducted by Elliott alumnus Stephen Wyman, BA ’85, we know some interesting history about how the school evolved at GW. According to Wyman, “the school’s earliest graduates played a huge role in the transformation and professionalization of the U.S. State Department. It is clear that GW was the nation’s trailblazer in educating students for diplomatic and consular careers.”

The first woman to become a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), Lucile Atcherson, a Smith College graduate, prepared for the FSO exam at GW, finished third, and was appointed in December 1922. In 1937, four of the 16 ambassadors and ministers with the longest tenures in the Foreign Service were GW alumni, including U.S. Ambassador Fred Morris Dearing, who received his Master of Diplomacy degree from GW in 1904.

During its first year of existence, the school counted 90 students. Today, the Elliott School boasts more than 28,000 living alumni, representing 113 countries, with an impressive record of achievements across all career sectors. Over the past 125 years, the study of international affairs has gained stature — and the Elliott School continues to be at the forefront.

For a full history of the school, check out “Engaging the World: The Study of International Affairs at the George Washington University.” This narrative offers a comprehensive look at how the school has evolved, through its many transformative milestones.Whether you’re a student, an alum, or simply curious about the school’s journey, this reading promises a compelling glimpse into the rich tapestry of the Elliott School’s history.

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The Elliott School’s mission is to develop the next generation of international leaders: leaders with knowledge, character, and skills; to conduct research that advances understanding of important global issues and contributes to the public debate on issues to advance understanding; and to help foster solutions to the world’s most challenging problems.

August 8, 2023August 16, 2023

Elliott School’s New Data Literacy Initiative: Revolutionizing Policy through Evidence-Based Approaches

Professors making presentation to staff in conference room.

Professors Emmanuel Teitelbaum and Laila Sorurbakhsh discuss data visualizations with Elliott School graduate students and International Affairs practitioners: (left to right) Chris Markiewicz, Chiara Evelti, Uugangerel Bold, and Briana Doyle.

The Elliott School is excited to announce the launch of a new initiative, Data Analytics for Policy Professionals, beginning Fall 2023. Led by Dr. Laila Sorubakhsh and Dr. Emmanuel Teitelbaum, the aim of the initiative is to provide a much-needed bridge between the world of public policy, international affairs, and data analytics. While traditional policy practice may focus more on qualitative or contextual data, the use of quantitative data in reports, presentations, dashboards, and other media are becoming increasingly common in the policy space. Through Data Literacy in International Affairs, our goal is to cross-train both traditional analysts and data scientists to combine their analytic strengths to inform innovative approaches to evidence-based policy.

As part of the initiative, the Elliott School is offering a series of courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive level that provide an understanding of which tools are most useful for both specialized and everyday policy practice. Through partnership with organizations and agencies, we seek to better serve our student body and the greater policy community by upskilling our current and future policymakers to respond to a dynamically changing world. These courses will provide students the opportunity to become empowered with the relevant data tools to improve daily operations, better understand policy, and provide evidence-based recommendations for best policy practice.

At the executive level, students, alumni, and practitioners can sign up to take our 1.5 credit weekend workshops offered both in person and online. Credits can be transferred to an Elliott School Masters program or graduate certificate. Fall 2023 offerings include IAFF 6505 Visualizing and Modeling International Politics with Dr. Emmanuel Teitelbaum (ESIA) and IAFF 6505 Expert Policy Decision Making Using Data with Dr. Leonardo Antenangeli (ESIA) and Dan Spokojny (CEO, fp21). Our hands-on approach combines technical training with guest speakers and networking events to put new technical skill sets into practice. Classes are open to beginners with no-coding experience to seasoned analysts looking to add to their skill set or understanding of its applications to the policy world. Information about the courses can be found in more detail here.

The introductory fall 2023 class will receive a special offer for the Initiative’s launch: $1,500 per 1.5 credit workshop in lieu of the standard non-degree student rate of $2,080 per 1 credit.

To apply, please submit your application here . Applications are considered on a rolling basis depending on workshop timing.

For any questions, please reach out to sorurbakhsh@gwu.edu

For additional information on the course offerings, please visit our website at https://elliott.gwu.edu/data-analytics-policy-professionals

June 8, 2023July 5, 2023

Elliott Student was Awarded the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

Payton Beaumier, who recently graduated from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University, was awarded a 2023 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest.

The Pickering Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. Beaumier was chosen out of 600 outstanding candidates.

Beaumier, who grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, said that since high school, she’s dreamed of having a career that would allow her to work towards advancing human rights on a global scale.

One of her teachers in high school once said, “What makes this country great is little people doing little acts of love.” Beaumier said it is a quote that continuously sticks with her and serves as a source of motivation to dedicate her life to public service.

After completing her graduate program, Payton will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. She hopes to serve as a political officer working to address matters of human security and strengthen U.S. relations with countries across the globe. Payton credits her time and experience at GW for setting her on this trajectory.

When Beaumier arrived at GW, she was searching for a way to turn her passions into a career, and GW provided an incomparable sense of direction and an environment for curiosity and growth. She stated, “I had amazing academic and experiential learning opportunities at GW. It is a wonderful place to jumpstart your interests.” Specifically, she expressed her gratitude for the unique courses she took, her engaging and influential professors, the Career Services Center, and her time as part of the Elliott School Dean’s Scholars Program.

While at GW, Payton served as the recruitment officer for the Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Sorority and was president of the Women in International Security Branch at GWU.

She participated in the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program and interned with the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, focusing on international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. She has completed internships at the White House with the Gender Policy Council, the U.S. Department of the Treasury with the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Payton became aware of her selection for the Pickering Fellowship during her time as an intern for the White House Gender Policy Council, and she aspires to continue advocating for gender equity and equality in foreign policy during her career.

This fellowship will allow Beaumier to pursue a two-year master’s degree in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service. It will also connect her to extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training.

As part of the program, Beaumier will work at the U.S. Department of State for their domestic internship, and the U.S. Department of State will send her overseas to intern in a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to get hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service.

“I am excited for the opportunity to dedicate my future and my career to promoting peace and supporting our citizens abroad while living a life of public service.”

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021

GW Elliott to Honor Retiring Professor Edward “Skip” Gnehm

Shortly after noon on March 2, 1991, an honor guard in Kuwait City greeted Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm Jr., newly appointed to head the United States’ diplomatic mission in Kuwait. The Gulf War had ended less than a week earlier. Before the new ambassador could step foot in the embassy, it had to be thoroughly searched for land mines and other weaponry.

Now the hard work would begin. The conflict and the preceding Iraqi occupation of Kuwait had ravaged the country. It was up to Ambassador Gnehm to work side by side with Kuwaiti leaders and citizens to rebuild the nation. This he did, establishing close ties in the country.

Today, Ambassador Gnehm is known on the GW campus as Professor Gnehm. Since joining the GW Elliott faculty in 2004, he has taught and mentored countless students and held leadership positions at the Elliott School and across the university. He has also served on the university’s Board of Trustees.

Gnehm is, in fact, a GW alumnus himself, having earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Elliott School. GW has recognized his service to the nation and to the university with many awards, including the President’s Medal. These round out national and international awards that pay tribute to Gnehm’s extraordinary service to his nation and in the Middle East.

Gnehm will soon open a new chapter in a long and storied career. In June 2022, he will retire from academia to focus on a book project of his own and spend time with family and friends. GW Elliott is sending him off with an honor guard of its own, celebrating Gnehm’s distinguished career by establishing a fellowship in his name.

In the words of Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School: “To honor Skip’s tremendous contribution to GW and his dedication to his students, the GW Elliott School of International Affairs is embarking on a major philanthropic initiative to [establish] the Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm Jr. Fellowship.”

Over the next few months, we look forward to celebrating Gnehm’s many accomplishments with the GW and Elliott communities. You can learn more online about the fellowship initiative and ways you can participate.

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

MIEP/ITIP: Message from the Program Director

Dear ITIP and MIEP Alumni,

I hope you are all well in these extraordinary times.

Since the onslaught of the pandemic last March, the program has been operating smoothly, with virtual classrooms and online social and professional events. Our current students, staff, and faculty have been amazingly resilient.

Last spring, we celebrated the graduation of the first-ever MA in International Economic Policy (MIEP) class and welcomed new students in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. As you all know, MIEP is the new name for our venerable ITIP program, but we are all part of the same wonderful network.

MIEP’s revised curriculum includes additional coursework in development economics, corporate finance, and financial accounting that will help our students compete in the private, non-profit, and public sectors. We recently introduced a STEM track, with advanced work in mathematical modeling and econometrics. Last spring, MIEP students and our last official group of ITIP students took part in capstone projects with organizations ranging from the International Trade Commission, to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the African Union Mission to the U.S.

Our 2020 graduates continue to get exciting positions in public and private organizations, including the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Department of Commerce, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, ASER Capital, and Palladium.

In short, the MIEP/ITIP family continues to thrive.

In the coming year, we hope to continue to expand alumni engagement and mentoring. There will be an online networking event for current students and alumni slated for April 23: go.gwu.edu/MIEPnetworking. With the change to virtual format, we have been fortunate to reach a wider audience for events, such as our alumni career panels. Keep an eye out for more details in the coming months, and we hope to see you there!

Stay safe, and we look forward to connecting with you in the coming year.

Michael O. Moore, Program Director, Master of International Economic Policy Program

April 8, 2020April 9, 2020

A Message of Support and Resilience from Dean Brigety

Dear Members of the Elliott School:

I write to you as we experience what is arguably the most challenging time our society has faced in living memory. Some of the most basic things that we took for granted in our lives just a month ago – such as the ability to associate in person – have rapidly, yet necessarily, been denied to us. The futures that we had envisioned for ourselves – the chances to study abroad, the summer internships we had planned, the family gatherings for graduation, the jobs we were hoping to land – seem uncertain.

These are indeed trying times. When our fundamental assumptions about our world are shaken, it can be difficult to know how to proceed. Yet, I cannot tell you how proud I am of how quickly and resolutely our community has adapted to this new normal. Our faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to convert all of our classes from in-person sessions to online instruction. Our students have used their prodigious gifts as digital natives to dive into their online instruction and to maintain a sense of community with their classmates through social media. We have been able to bring back to the United States all of our students who were studying abroad and wanted to come home, and we have been working tirelessly to continue to support our international students – both those who remain in Foggy Bottom and those who rejoined their families around the world.

Please know that as we go through these tough times, we are all truly in this together.

Allow me to take a moment to share with you a portion of my own personal struggle in this time of the novel coronavirus pandemic. My beloved wife, Dr. Leelie Selassie, is an intensive care physician specializing in ventilator management and advanced life support. That means that she is on the frontlines of this fight as she works with her colleagues to save the lives of those who have contracted COVID-19. It also means that every time she goes into the hospital to treat patients, she is at risk of contracting this potentially deadly virus herself. I am simultaneously in awe of her dedication and heroism and deeply worried for her safety. Nevertheless, as her husband, I must do my best to be supportive of her and to manage our home so that she can keep her mind and energy focused on the critical tasks before her. As the father to our children, I must do my best to strike the right balance between maintaining an appropriate level of social and academic structure for them while also giving them the space to just “be kids” in this unusual time. And as your Dean, I must continue to provide the appropriate leadership for our community even as I shoulder the personal challenges that this pandemic has laid on my family.

The months ahead will require us to demonstrate even more flexibility, endurance, compassion and resolve. It is entirely understandable that at times we may not feel that we are up to this challenge.

Whatever the challenges you may be facing, please know that I and the entire team in the Dean’s Suite are here for you. We will do our utmost to help every one of you through this crisis. If we do not know the answer to a policy question as it relates to your studies, we will do our best to get the answer for you. If you are having particular struggles with your finances, we will work with you to locate the help you need. If you are feeling especially isolated and alone, we will find ways to connect you more strongly into our virtual community. Please just reach out to us, so that we can know how we might assist you.

Similarly, I ask that each of you do your part (and then some) to be a supportive member of our community. Reach out to your classmates and peers. You never know when an encouraging word from you is just the thing they needed to hear. If you are blessed with resources, ask what you can do to help lighten the load of someone who needs it. Find ways to be creative in sharing knowledge, opportunities and good cheer with our community. We all need each other.

In recent days, the world lost one of the great soul singers of all time – Bill Withers. Amongst his most famous songs was “Lean on Me,” whose refrain goes like this:

Lean on me/When you’re not strong

And I’ll be your friend/I’ll help you carry on

For, it won’t be long/ ’til I’m gonna need

Somebody to lean on.

Friends, now more than ever is the time for us to lean on each other. And as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II said in her recent address to her nation and the British Commonwealth, “We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again.”

Elliott Proud,

Dean B

Washington, DC

July 19, 2018July 19, 2018

MES Students Receive Boren and CLS Scholarships

The Elliott School’s Institute for Middle East Studies congratulates the following five students who received either a Boren Fellowship or Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) from the U.S. State Department to study Middle East languages:

Thomas Harris (Boren, Arabic)

Mary Ivancic (Boren, Arabic)

Rosalie Rubio (Boren, Arabic)

Brennan Ryan (Boren, Arabic)

Adam Aviles (CLS, Persian)

Both the Boren Fellowship and Critical Language Scholarship are part of a U.S. government initiative to increase the number of Americans studying and gaining proficiency in foreign languages deemed vital to U.S. national security interests. We at GW are very proud of our exceptional students, and we wish them the best of luck wherever their language studies may take them this summer or coming academic year!