2011-2012 Humphrey Newsletter

Rocky Gap: Looking Back, Gazing Forward

June 2012

Hubert H. Humphrey

Fellowship Program of

Syracuse University

News and Events of the 2011-

2012 Hubert H. Humphrey

Fellowship Program at the

Maxwell School of Citizenship

Syracuse University

Humphrey News

Tech Garden 7

Reflections by Sheng 8

Dialogue featuring

Secretary Clinton

11

Kristine’s Scrapbook 12

Rezwana at Foreign

Service Academy

13

First Birthday 14

On becoming a host 14

Alum Updates 15

Volunteering at the

Samaritan Center

4

Touring City Hall 3

Reflections by

Kristine

5

Syracuse COE 7

Fellows in NYC 2

Syracuse Year-End

Celebration

3

Signs of Spring 4

Rocky Gap– Year-

End Celebration

1

Each year, IIE gathers all 200+ Fel-

lows from the 18 campuses for a

final series of workshops and semi-

nars. The retreat is capped off

with a celebration attended by

Department of State representa-

tives, fellows, campus coordinators

and IIE staff. The fellows received

a certificate signed by President

Barack Obama and Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton.

It was a bittersweet time as they

reconnected with fellows from

other campuses. They shared

memories of October’s Global

Leadership Forum, pre-academic

training and the various Enhance-

ment Workshops they attended in

February and March. It was also a

time to celebrate their accomplish-

ments and take (even more) pho-

tos!

After the Fellows departed Rocky

Gap, the campus coordinators had

a day of sessions where they too,

got to reconnect with their coun-

terparts from the host campuses,

in addition to IIE

staff and State

Department rep-

resentatives.

Above: Fellows hold aloft their certificates that

were signed by President Obama and Secretary

of State Hillary Clinton. Right: Fellows and

Syracuse University staff gather for one last

group photo outside Rocky Gap Retreat. From

here Fellows went on to complete their Profes-

sional Affiliations in NYC, Washington, D.C.,

Atlanta, Miami and Syracuse.. From front row,

left to right: Tammy Salisbury, Sania Battalova,

Margaret Lane, Elena Marchan, Kenyatta

Mwawashe, Prateek Mohanty, Rezwana Sid-

diqui. Middle: Kristine Jaunzeme. Back row:

Hazim Hamed, Humayun Tarar, Brahmanand

Thakur, Phone Myint Win, Gang Sheng and

Sulaiman Al-Shandoudi.

The Humphrey Fellows took New York City by storm in

March for a combination of professional site visits and sight-

seeing opportunities. The week was unusually warm, which brought Manhattanites

out by the droves to Highline Park. The Fellows were treat-

ed to a private tour of this new park, which is a collabora-

tion between the City of New York and the nonprofit Friends of the High Line. They learned how redeveloping

this formerly abandoned elevated rail line has spurred much

economic development in the Chelsea neighborhood of

lower Manhattan. They also visited the United Nations for a tour and had the

opportunity to attend a Career Expo in conjunction with

NYU and a Maxwell alumni networking event hosted by

Career and Alumni Services. The Fellows visited the Acumen Fund, a philanthropic organ-

ization which harnesses the investments of donors into pa-

tient capital- financially supporting on-the-ground businesses

and organizations in targeted countries in order to help

alleviate poverty. Acumen works in many of our Humphrey

Fellows’ countries so there was great interest in how Acu-

men fulfills its mission.

Humphrey Flags Throughout the News-

letter you’ll notice the

flags representing the

countries of Humphrey

Fellows since 2009.

Kenya

India

Moldova

Sierra Leone

Fellows Take a Bite out of the Big Apple

NYC’s 311 Center was also on the

agenda, which is a centralized call

center where customers access

information about NYC govern-

ment services. 311 handles over

61,000 calls per day! The IT as-

pect to this was of great interest to

the Fellows in addition to the level

of service and the “one stop shop-

ping” customer-centric aspect to

government services. There was also time for a visit to

the 9/11 Memorial, located at the

site of the World Trade Center.

Fellows spent free moments ex-

ploring the Empire State Building,

walking around neighborhoods of

Murray Hill by the hotel and ex-

ploring Times Square by night. A busy and productive 48 hours in

New York!

Above: Fellows stand in and outside the hallowed halls of the United Na-

tions. Below: Fellows met with Joe Morrisroe, Executive Director of the 311 Cen-

ter to learn how his department handles over 22 million non-emergency

calls to NYC government annually.

The Fellows came together for a

year-end celebration at the Gold-

stein Student Center at the end of

April. It was a night filled with frivol-

ities, music, and memories. Humayun

Tarar was chosen by his peers to

represent the group and reflected

upon his year as a Humphrey Fellow.

Margaret Lane, Steve Lux and IIE

Humphrey Fellowship Director Judy Gibson, visiting from Washington,

D.C., also offered remarks. Fellows

offered roses to program staff in

addition to a Mithila painting of the

Hindu Goddess of Knowledge

"Saraswati" to thank all who had

helped them throughout their year.

Fellows Gather to Celebrate with Family and Friends

Fellows Tour Syracuse City Hall: Meet Officials, Learn

About Resident Ghost

Humayun, Brahma, Phone and Kenyatta pose with the

“pride of City Hall”- the Golden Snowball Award, given to the

snowiest city in Upstate New York. Syracuse has been a

recent perennial winner, but with limited snow this season,

was edged out of the competition by Rochester.

The Fellows had an opportunity to meet exten-

sively with Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner’s top

administrators for an afternoon. They learned

how the city fulfills its mandate and mission to its

citizens amidst challenging economic times.

Chief of Staff Bill Ryan provided a framework of

how the city is governed. Director of Admin-

istration Beth Rougeux offered her perspective

on how the various departments within the city

government are managed and interact with one

another. Director of Mayoral Initiatives Tim

Carroll talked about economic development and

the challenges of pensions and healthcare man-

dates. The Fellows also met managers from a wide-

ranging array of departments during a tour pro-

vided by Director of Constituent Services Lind-

say Speicher. Finally, the Fellows toured the

historic building’s basement, learning about the

legend of a resident ghost. No strange

presences were noticed, however! Host Frank

Kelly helped arranged productive afternoon as

he previously worked for City Hall in the 1970’s.

Fellows spent an early spring afternoon helping to serve lunch at downtown Syracuse’s Samaritan Center.

This soup kitchen serves 250-350 meals per day, 365 days a year. The Fellows were just a few of the 800

volunteers who assist the Center each month in helping to bring breakfast and lunch to anyone in need.

Before their volunteer shift, they met the Samaritan Center’s Executive Director, Mary Beth Frey, to gain

insight into the organization’s mission and to learn a little about how the Center fits into the broad spec-

trum of social services available to people in Onondaga County. The talk provided an excellent example of

the myriad of government agencies and nonprofits who serve the poor in the Central New York area. She

emphasized the reward of getting to know the community members they serve in addition to befriending

the myriad of volunteers. In addition, she stressed this personal connection and the importance of dignity,

remarking how community members who eat meals there also wish to lend a hand to help in any way they

can.

Before long, it was time to don

aprons, hats and gloves to

serve lunch. Some Fellows

were on the food line, serving

the meal while others had

clean up detail, washing trays.

Well over 200 lunches were

served that Friday, with count-

less more memories of service

to the Fellow’s adopted com-

munity.

Volunteering at the Samaritan Center

Latvia

Nepal

Azerbaijan

Kyrgyzstan

Signs of Spring in Central New York

Above: Brahma, Sulaiman, Phone and the

Tarar family at Tinker’s Falls south of Tully.

Central New York is filled with scenic parks and

trails for visitors to enjoy!

As previous Fellows will remember, winter in Central New

York can be a challenge. This year, program staff prepared

the Fellows a little too well for winter- instead of anywhere

near the 179 inches the 2010-2011 Fellows experienced, this

year’s cohort barely had 50 inches- so little, that the winter

outing to Highland Forest was cancelled, not due to too

much winter, but not enough! Instead, the Fellows experienced a sure sign of spring in Cen-

tral New York- maple syrup season. As the weather warms

and days get longer, the sap of sugar maple trees begins to

run and people tap the tree to initiate the pain-staking pro-

cess of turning sap into sweet maple syrup.

Fellows who weren’t attending enhancement workshops

joined host Barry Kogut at Critz Farms to learn about (and

taste!) maple syrup, learning the about process where 40

gallons of sap will be boiled down to 1 gallon of syrup. After

a brunch of pancakes and fresh maple syrup, Barry took the

fellows on a brief hike to Tinker’s Falls in northern Cortland

County, not far from his country home in Fabius. While not

exactly Niagara Falls, Tinker’s Falls did allow time to walk off

the morning’s pancakes. They also explored Labrador Hollow

Unique Area. They finished the pleasurable jaunt with a stop

at Barry and Kathy’s home.

Right: Fellows help get the

lunch meal ready at the Sa-

maritan Center. They served

about 235 lunches that day

to those in need of a hot meal

and warm conversation.

It takes me quite a while to sit down

at my laptop and to write a reflec-

tion about my Humphrey year. I

know any words will fail me and

any words will be too small to em-

brace and describe this time of my

life. The world suddenly has be-

come so, so small and America so

big. Leaving home has led me back

home. My impatience with life and

work has calmed down. I have dis-

covered myself and world from

anew so many hours and days this

year. Let me tell you three things:

about being impatient and discover-

ing myself, about coming home and

about a small, small world.

Honestly?! I came to U.S. so tired

and frustrated with my work back

home in public administration of

Latvia. I wondered how one can be

so tired and almost hopeless after

only seven years in public service?

How will I go on at a service to our

people in Latvia when I am so emp-

ty already? My impatience and

eager willingness to see the impact

of the work and not being able to

see it for several years had led me to

permanent feeling to be wasted. I

was lucky to work on local govern-

ment reforms and legislation, thus I

could see impact and results in be-

ginning of my career in public ser-

vice. But after that, all I could see

what the procedures and papers, one

after another, so many broken

promises to our people and political

circus. The Humphrey seminar with our

wonderful professors Catherine

When One is Taken to the Mountaintop

- Reflection by Kristine Jaunzeme

Turkey

Dominican Republic

Oman

Colombia

Bhutan

Gerard and Steven Lux, public ad-

ministration and democracy class

with professor Tina Nabatchi, NGO

class, negotiation class with profes-

sor Robert Rubinstein and so many

other seminars and workshops,

group discussions, insights and

views of professionals from all

around the world – my good friends,

Humphrey Fellows, and idealistic

students of the Maxwell School, it

was like a wellspring of life, like

fresh air for me. Suddenly I was able

to breathe and I was breathing deep-

ly. I was brought to a mountaintop

to reflect on previous experiences,

different meetings and battles about

bringing change in our public ad-

ministration in Latvia; I was brought

to places where I was jumping out of

my skin to make change, to make an

impact and where that wouldn’t help

anyways. Through classes and semi-

nars at the Maxwell School, I

learned so much about leadership,

public policy and administration.

Many times what was a celebration

of intuition before became a

knowledge and insight now. Yes,

but even more I learned about my-

self from day to day, from self as-

sessments, group projects and role

plays, from rela-

tions and differ-

ent situations- I

was discovering

the person who is

living through

me, the eyes

which are look-

ing in this world.

I was brought to

a mountaintop to

reflect, to discov-

er myself, world

and my country

from anew, to

find and see new

perspective. I

also was preparing to walk down

from a mountaintop in every day

path and work challenges. Now – re-

charged, better equipped and pre-

pared, with new aspirations and

ideas, more patient, knowing myself

better and with much greater emo-

tional intelligence.

Leaving home led me back home. I

have always taken the life, all what I

love back home for granted. This

year I have re-discovered my loved

ones back home and my Latvia

from a distance and I found myself

loving home so passionately and

eagerly. I knew that I would miss

my extended family, my Riga’s St.

Old Gertrude church, but I didn’t

know that I would miss them as

much as I did. I didn’t know that

they are such a big part of me and

my roots are so deep. Now I know

better. Throughout the year, I was

following all the chaos after the

2011 Parliament elections in Latvia

in the news on the web and griev-

ing about tendencies of our new

democracy and misuse of power.

At a same time in all my class read-

ings whatever theory I would read

or class discussions would partici-

pate - I would always compare and

try to apply it to a situation and

systems at home whether it would

be about tensions between democ-

racy and bureaucracy, citizenship,

building social capital, new public

management approaches or other

topics. I remember good times in

Seattle and rushing through the city

one Saturday night in February

with Humphrey Fellows from Pan-

ama, Nepal and Pakistan trying to

find the place to vote in our latest

referendum relating to Latvian and

Russian languages. I could never

just study, do an internship or just

live in America. I was always find-

ing myself in thoughts being back

home in Latvia. Home is where

(con’t next page)

South Korea

Pakistan

Iraq

Madagascar

Tunisia

When One is Taken to the Mountaintop (Cont’d)

my heart is. My heart is in Latvia.

Wow!! And world has become so, so

small after this year and America so

big!! We were 11 nationalities in our

Maxwellian Humphrey group. We were

93 nationalities in our 200 Humphrey

Fellow 2011-12 cohort. We made

friends for a lifetime from all around the

world and from America. I remember

reading the list of participants of some

of the Humphrey enhancement work-

shops and a smile appearing on my face

so many times, seeing the names of

friends I would meet in the workshop.

In every workshop, of course, we made

new friends and professional contacts

with peers from all around the world. I

remember my surprise and great joy

meeting Humphrey Fellow Shaymaa

from Egypt in the American Manage-

ment Association seminar in San Fran-

cisco. I remember a warm welcome in

Washington D.C., staying a couple of

days with Humphrey Fellows from University of Maryland: Chao from China, Zvik from Zimbabwe and Sind-

hu from India whom I get to know in the Humphrey enhancement workshop in Atlanta. I remember all the

great joy we had with our Maxwellian Humphrey cohort, all the discussions and fun we had in Syracuse and in

our travels. Our discussions and sharing ideas – that was a mil-

lion!! Kenyatta, I will miss your ideas and insights forever when

our walks separate and we depart home. Sharing cultures and

meals, doing sports together. Tennis with Hazim and swimming

lessons with Rezwana. Seeing Prateek’s loving care for his fam-

ily and Phone’s tirelessness wanting to learn more. Whenever I

see a library now, I think about Phone. Whenever I hear some-

thing very extraordinary now, I see Sulaiman in my thoughts.

The greatest night in U.S. in New Orleans in the emergency

room in hospital with Humayun and Brahmanand, and Fellows

from Boston University Cisem from Turkey and Margarita from

Mexico. Last night with Sania and Elena in Washington D.C.

A smile appears on my face. So many stories to tell, so many

pictures saved and so many fingerprints on my heart. We made

friends for lifetime!! And yes, America suddenly became so

big!! No matter how much I have traveled from place to place

this year (and, of course, I am not even close to our big brother

Sheng), I have seen only a little bit from this big, beautiful and

so diverse country. Even New York City through my internship

in the City seemed so big for me. But I think I have seen the

most important part because I had a privilege to get to know, to

make friends and professional contacts with wonderful Ameri-

can people, the real and most true ambassadors of America. Our

friends in Executive Education office at Maxwell School of

Citizenship and Public Affairs and our professors. Margaret,

Tammy, Martha, Catherine, Steven, Tina, Vadym, all the pro-

gram staff – we cannot thank you enough. Host families, Ploy

and Rich, Sandi and Frank, friends, Pat, Joe, everyone who was

American part of our 2011-12 Syracuse Humphrey family – you are our Americans!! Thank you for your love

of your country and for your warm welcome in your homes and families. Thank you for your friendship and

thank you that you do care.

The Humphrey Fellows travelled to the Syracuse Tech Garden, a center for innovation and entrepreneurship

in the technology sector. They were given a chance to explore the physical aspects of the Garden, and dis-

cuss strategies of encouraging innovation and tech pioneering with experts at the site, including incubator

projects and the “student sandbox.”

Syracuse Tech Garden - Fellows and Innovation

Israel

Myanmar (Burma)

Tajikistan

Philippines

China

Right: During a tour of

Syracuse Tech Gar-

den, a technology

incubator collabora-

tive, Fellows had the

opportunity to meet

with the Garden’s

director, Linda Dicker-

son Hartsock (right;

back to camera).

From the left: Hazim

Hamed, Sulaiman Al-

Shandoudi, Rezwana

Siddiqui, Kenyatta

Mwawashe, Elena

Marchan, Sania Bat-

talova and Gang

Sheng.

Fellows visit the Syracuse Center of Excellence This spring, Fellows had the opportunity to visit the Syracuse Center of Excellence (COE) to explore an

example of a public-private collaboration in the sustainability sector. COE is a place where research and

application join forces, housing many cutting-edge environmental innovations. The Center is located in a

boat-shaped building that is extremely energy efficient, having received a LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design) Platinum Accreditation score just this year! Fellows were led on a tour by the COE’s

Carissa Matthews, where they were able to see and interact with the modern technology that makes the

building unique. The group was amazed at how open and accessible the energy and water infrastructure of

the building was. The Syracuse Center of Excellence is one of seven Centers of Excellence in New York

State and is the only one

that focuses specifically

on environmental re-

search.

Left: Syracuse COE’s

Carissa Matthews, back

to camera, explains the

Center’s innovative

green roof to the Fel-

lows. The roof has a

layer of plant material, a

variety of sedum, to

absorb water and mini-

mize runoff. They are

standing on the third

floor of the building. A

portion of the downtown

Syracuse skyline can be

seen in the background.

Ecuador

Saudi Arabia

Liberia

Rwanda

Zimbabwe

My HUMPHREY Year: Human Understanding Makes

Partnerships with Humor, Respect, and Equality

Yours,

Dr. Gang Sheng

As my Humphrey year draws to a close, it is a pleasure to look back

upon the past, make a summary of the year, and share experiences

gained and lessons learned. Generally speaking, my impressions about

the Humphrey Program could be expressed as one sentence, an acro-

nym for HUMPHREY: Human Understanding Makes Partnerships with

Humor, Respect, and Equality Yours. Every day, I have met new people

and faced new challenges. This experience enables me to think with a

global perspective and combine Eastern and Western ways of thinking. I think I could summarize my days in the Humphrey Program with three

famous sayings of Confucius, which represent “Learning,” “Friendship,”

and “Understanding” respectively. “To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learned, is that

not, after all, a pleasure?” “That friends should come to one from afar, is this not, after all,

delightful?” “To remain unsoured even though one’s merits are unrecognized

by others, is that not, after all, what is expected for a gentleman?”

Learning To learn and at due times to

repeat what one has learned,

is that not, after all, a pleas-

ure? For a long time, I have

dreamed of studying in the

US, and the Humphrey Pro-gram has made my dream

come true. Throughout the

past year, every morning,

when I wake up, I ask myself,

“Imagine, if this was the last

day of the program, how will

I spend it more meaningfully

and effectively?” I cherish

every single minute, and I

have learned a wide range of

knowledge, covering topics such as time man-

agement, strategic planning, crisis management,

social media, civic engagement, NGO manage-

ment, and so on. As a result, I have discovered

three essential elements for productive learn-

ing: a teachable mindset, experiential learning,

and critical thinking. First, the empty cup mentality. Learning is like

filling a cup: one has to empty himself or her-

self to prepare to be teachable. Nothing can be

added to a full cup. Illustrating this teachable

mindset, my Oregon classmate, Mina Aryal

from Nepal, and my Syracuse classmate, Phone

Myint Win from Myanmar, have set good mod-

els for me. Inspired by their diligence and

(continued on next page)

(con’t from previous page) passion, I try to open my mind so as to embrace new information and gain new inspiration. Except for par-

ticipating in scheduled courses, I have devoted every minute that I could to listening to as many lectures as

possible. During the past nine months, I have attended over 100 lectures, focusing on different topics, which

have really expanded my comprehensive understanding of the world. Second, the experiential mentality. Seeing is believing, and first-hand experience creates real knowledge.

There is a Chinese saying, that a wise person should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.

Similarly, Huck Finn said, “I never let school get in the way of my education.” (Mark Twain) As a comple-

ment to class study, travelling is the best way to observe a nation. Through travelling, I have been impressed

by the abundance and diversity of this country. Even the same things in various US cities can be very differ-

ent. The more places I visit, the more I feel that I still need to learn. This kind of experience has greatly

stimulated my aspiration to keep studying and exploring. Third, the critical thinking mentality. The ultimate goal of learning is practicing. Theory and practice should

be combined, and we must think critically in order to find the most effective approach and serve people

better. I was especially impressed by the “question boy,” Iqbal Ahmed Detho from Pakistan, who is good at

asking insightful questions that demonstrate this kind of critical thinking. The course studies, seminars, and

presentations are very valuable and highly important. However, we have to acknowledge the gap between

academic study and the practical world. Therefore, we need to be innovated to close the gap.

Is it not a pleasure to learn? In short, these three mentalities contribute to the pleasure found in learning.

Friendship That friends should

come to one from

afar, is this not,

after all, delightful? Nowadays, peace

and development

are two main

themes of the

world. However,

due to numerous

differences, con-

flicts never stop.

To cope with this

challenge, global

vision and under-

standing are neces-

sary. The Humph-

rey Program has

enabled me to have

the chance to share ideas and

observe other

cultures closely. It

provides for a rich diversity in friendship among and between Fellows and American people. Delight from friendship with fellows. Gathering from all corners of the globe and all walks of life, our peer

fellows are representing the world. Before attending this program, I only had a few personal connections

with people from the US, Australia and Singapore. However, through the English training in Oregon and my

studies in Syracuse, as well as different activities outside of class, including the Global Leadership Forum, the

Humphrey enhancement workshops, the professional affiliation, host families, and so on, altogether I have

made nearly 300 connections from nearly 100 countries. It is a wonderful experience for me to get to know

people from different regions and understand what, how and why they think of the same things from differ-

ent angles. Delight from friendship with American people. As a student from the other side of the world, understanding

American society is not easy. Yet, through the Humphrey Program, I have been able to explore and under-

stand American society deeply. As of now, I have visited over 60 companies and organizations in 30 differ-ent US cities. I try my best to be a bridge between the US cities and my city, Chengdu, and promote bilat-

eral exchange in different areas, such as education, culture, and business. I have participated in efforts to

foster the exchange of education between universities, strengthen the friendship between sister cities, and

have promoted investment and cooperation between China and the US. For example, my recent visit to the

Universidad del Este in Puerto Rico reinforced the value of cultural exchange, as my peer fellow, Ruishan

Zheng, and I were able to give presentations and an interview about city development and emergency man-

agement in Sichuan Province, where we are from. All these experiences give me insight into the importance

of promoting mutual understanding.

(con’t on next page)

(con’t from previous page) Is it not delightful to have international friends? In short, interacting with such a diverse range of people

through the Humphrey Program contributes to the delight found in friends.

Understanding To remain unsoured even though one’s merits are unrecognized by others, is that not, after all, what is

expected for a gentleman? It is a quickly changing world, full of diversity. It is also a world full of conflicts. In order to realize mutual

respect and understanding, communication and dialogue are very important. On one hand, people can’t

just let their personal

pride or ego keep them

from seeing others’ per-

spectives. On the other

hand, tolerance and pa-

tience are necessary atti-

tudes to cope with misun-

derstanding. Based on my

experience, I have three

guidelines to share for

avoiding cultural conflict. First, be generous to oth-

ers and try to think posi-

tively. A positive or nega-

tive mentality can lead to

very different outcomes

for a given task. From my Syracuse classmate, Rez-

wana Siddiqui from Paki-

stan, I learned the saying,

“The positive thinker sees

the invisible, feels the in-

tangible, and achieves the

impossible.” Seeing the best in others will make your interaction both more pleasant and more meaningful. Second, be tolerant and try to shift positions. No matter where we are from—our country of origin, our

occupation, or our ethnicity—we are equal. We should stand in someone else’s shoes instead of passing

judgment. We should respect each other and work to see things from the others’ perspectives. Third, be humorous and try to share fun. Life does not lack beauty, but sometimes we need to lighten up

to see the beauty. That is, do not take everything so seriously. From my peers and coordinators, I learned

to have a sense of humor and optimism. If you have fun, I have fun; when we together, our pleasure will be

doubled. Is it not the mark of a gentleman to be humble? In short, having a generous, tolerant, and humorous out-

look will contribute to remaining unsoured by wounded pride or misunderstanding.

Conclusion Before I attended this program, in my heart, there was a metaphorical map that included all of China. As

time goes on, I still have that map; however, it is gradually covering almost all of the world, a world map.

This cross-cultural experience has enabled me to better understand the word “love.” This kind of love is

not just limited to romantic love, but it is a brotherly love, or a Philadelphia love. We come from different

countries and regions, we speak different native languages and dialects, and we have different cultures and

traditions, but we all have similar dreams, which are to create a better life for others and for ourselves. It

is love that can handle all kinds of conflicts and promote cooperation and peace. Hereby, I would like to

use this opportunity to thank my professors, coordinators, peer fellows, and all the people who contribute

to this program. Thank you for your generosity and support! To conclude, I want to quote a saying by a renowned American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Don’t go

where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Facing this ever changing

globalized world, we need vision, courage and wisdom to leave a trail, a trail toward a better world, a

more peaceful and harmonious world with more love! Remember what HUMPHREY could stand for: Human Understanding Makes Partnerships with Humor,

Respect, and Equality Yours!

My Humphrey Year...

Syracuse University Humphrey Coordinator Margaret

Lane wears many hats– besides overseeing the Humph-

rey Program, she is in charge of the Executive Degree

Programs as Assistant Director of Executive Education

at the Maxwell School. As part of those duties, she trav-

elled to Moldova and Georgia in March to meet potential

students sponsored by Open Society Foundations.

This provided a wonderful opportunity to catch up with

2009-2010 Humphrey alum Alexei Ionaoscu in Mol-

dolva. He sends his greetings to all!

Catching up with Old Friends

Rezwana Attends Dialogue Featuring Secretary Clinton

by Rezwana Siddiqui

"…societies move forward when the citizens that make up these groups are empowered to

transform common interests into common actions that serve the common good."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Community of Democracies, Krakow, July 2010

Secretary Clinton launched the Strategic Dialogue with the Civil Society (SDCS) in February

2011 to elevate U.S. engagement with partners beyond foreign governments and to underscore

the U.S.’s continued commitments in supporting and protecting civil society around the world. In a continuation of the series of discussions with civil society, the State Department organized a

dialogue with the Secretary of State on May 16th, 2012, in which various national and interna-

tional groups and representatives from civil society were invited. I, along with few other Humph-

rey Fellows from Africa, Central Asia, the Far East and other countries were also in attendance. She apprised the audience about the events that unfolded after the launch of the series of dialogues with

civil society. A number of sessions were held

afterwards, and as a result of the wide rang-

ing discussions, themes were identified for

collaboration between the USA and civil

societies in various parts of the world.

Henceforth, eight policy recommendations

and working groups were established

through dedicated posts, established in the

USA’s embassies around the globe. These

posts were working in close collaboration

with concerned segments of civil societies in

respective countries, for a joint action for a

joint cause. The U.S. embassies in various parts of the world are now acting as a catalyst for change

by joining with various segments of societies

such as religious groups and faith based or-

ganizations, with an aim to promote better

understanding of religious harmony and pro-

tection of rights of religious minorities. Similarly, some working posts are collaborating with labor unions

to promote a better working relationship between governments, industries and the labor-force. Another

group is working with women representatives’ organizations to achieve a common cause of women’s em-

powerment. In the end Clinton managed a Q&A session whereby participants sitting in the Benjamin Franklin Room of

the State Department and those participating through video-calls posed questions that were replied to in

detail.

Above: Secretary of State Hilla-

ry Clinton also visited the cam-

pus of Syracuse University in

April. She spoke at Hendricks

Chapel to a standing room only

audience— a few lucky Hum-

phreys were able to attend.

Above: Rezwana was an invited member of the audience as

Secretary Clinton addresses invitees during the Strategic

Dialogue with Civil Society session in May.

Kristine’s Scrapbook—

Page 12

Humphrey Seminar faculty Steve Lux and

Catherine Gerard

Birthday

Celebrations!

Niagara Falls with Sania and Brahma.

Trip to Boeing in Seattle

Out on the town—Fellows were always on the move!

Kristine’s host family, Rich and Ploy

Chapman with Elena, Kristine and

Sania.

Rezwana Speaks to 25 Diplomats at the Foreign

Service Academy Rezwana Siddiqui was recently was invited for a candid talk and presentation

to a cohort of 25 diplomats from U.S. Foreign Service, who are awaiting post-

ing in 25 countries, including Pakistan. Paul Schelp, Program Officer in the Of-

fice of Global Educational Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

U.S. State Department, discussed the objectives of the program.

Rezwana talked about the synergies of goals between the Hubert Humphrey

Program and Fellows themselves. She shared her personal experiences with

the audience, highlighting some pleasant surprises she had during her time as a

Syracuse University Humphrey Fellow. She mentioned the professional man-

agement of the program at the host campuses, whereby all systems, processes,

procedures were in place from day one. She also shared her own evolution during this time. Her stay in the U.S. awak-

ened a ‘can-do’ attitude in her, which she considers to be one of the major

takeaways of the program. While there were some unfulfilled aspirations, like

visiting Niagara Falls, there was a lot of time spent sharing her culture through

delicious Pakistani cuisine and music with others in the Humphrey and EMPA programs at the Maxwell School.

She feels that people-to-people interactions are the best way to bridge the information divide, which has

crept into human beings despite living in an information era. This gap exists among countries even though

there is a high density of communication mechanisms including great internet penetration. Rezwana shared her view of U.S., through first-hand exchanges at various levels including people, government

officials, systems, processes and societies as a whole. She found them to be more structured, organized,

schedule-oriented, class and hierarchy-indifferent, risk takers and open to new ideas. She feels that all these

traits are major contributory factors towards the significant position that the U.S. has on the globe and it is

paying a high dividend both at the economic and intellectual levels. She offered view of Pakistan which was a

major departure from the media image of that country. This very candid heart-to-heart talk was viewed by the diplomats with interest and keenness. She shared her

aspiration for a global society free of prejudice, misconception, mutual respect and harmony to make earth a

better living place. It was a great learning and information exchange for the diplomats and Rezwana. The per-

spective and insights from a Humphrey Fellow was an opportunity for the audience of the Foreign Service

Academy to have a first-hand perspective of the Humphrey Program, Rezwana’s Pakistan and the United

States through her eyes.

Above: Rezwana spoke to Foreign Service personnel about Pakistan. She was the invitee of Paul Schelp, the Educa-

tion and Cultural Affairs Department of the U.S. State Department.

Our HHH Host Family Experience by Frank Kelly I don’t recall how I first learned of the opportunity to be a host family to one of the Hubert H. Humphrey

Fellows visiting Maxwell last year, but know I was interested in learning more. For years, my wife, Sandi and I

have enjoyed meeting people from other countries. As adjunct faculty at Upstate Medical University, we’d

worked with several foreign students. More recently, we’d made friends with foreign graduate students at

Cornell, where our daughter works. But,

being retired, I’ve had fewer opportunities to

meet international scholars in recent years. My first thought was to request a Fellow who

was involved in local government back home,

since that’s where I’d spent the majority of

my public service. But that did not work out.

Instead, we were paired with Sania, a librarian

[though that term is hardly descriptive of her

credentials or responsibilities] from Kyrgyz-

stan. We exchanged email before she ar-

rived but other obligations prevented us from

meeting Sania’s flight in Syracuse. I met Sania

– and her 11 associates - at a picnic organized

by Maxwell staff and my wife did not meet

her until even later. That was yesterday – or so it seems. The

time has evaporated. What began with driv-ing Sania around university neighborhoods

looking for an apartment – and soliciting

friends in Cortland for loaned furniture, mu-

tated again and again as the months flew by.

Along the way we got to know some of the other Fellows – and host families – as well: Kristine from Latvia

(who shared an apartment with Sania), Elena from Ecuador (who shared a penchant for shopping with her),

and Humayun from Pakistan (a self-labeled “cop” who I later introduced to a Police Chief I’d worked with on

another volunteer assignment). We shared holiday meals with Sania and had her “down” (we live in Cortland, 30 miles south of Syracuse) for

overnights. We visited her – and other fellows – in Syracuse – for potluck dinners, basketball games and

smaller, informal visits. I went on hikes and bike rides with Kristine, for drinks with Sania and to a play with

Elena. I took a group to Cornell and helped arrange a meeting with senior city government staff in Syracuse,

where I’d previously worked. We introduced Sania and other members of the group to friends and family,

and kept in touch between visits by email and phone. Looking back over the year, it’s abundantly clear that – as much as we gave to this year’s HHH class – we were rewarded several times over, in a variety of ways. Sandi and I love to travel but will never visit all the

countries or learn about all the cultures we’d like to. Serving as an HHH Host Family gave us the opportunity

to learn about several countries and form meaningful connections with people we’d never have met other-

wise. In the process, we’ve made new friends - who we plan to keep in touch with and hope to see again.

You can’t ask for more than that.

By Prateek Mohanty We celebrated the first birthday of our younger

daughter Pernita Mohanty – the “international

citizen” - here in the United States on the 17th of

February, 2012. While mother Maitri laid out the

delicious Indian cuisine, elder sister Panita spent

time dotting the walls with balloons adding color

and festivity. It was attended by “dignitaries” from

many continents of the globe. We shall cherish the

happy time spent with our friends in the Humph-

rey cohort, Tammy representing the Program Staff

from Executive Education and, of course, Molly

(from our host family).

Above: First birthday wishes were in abundance for Pernita Mohanty, daughter of Humphrey Fellow Prateek at his

home in Syracuse.

First Birthday Celebration of an ‘International Citizen’

Above: Frank Kelly (front, seated on floor) and his wife Sandi

Holland (far right) join from left: Kristine’s hosts Rich and

Ploysong Chapman, Humphrey friend Pat Wilson, Elena Marchan

and Sania Battalova early in the Humphrey year.

Under construction: We are in the process of

adding a Maxwell Humphrey

Facebook page which will be

public for all to contribute

and learn about the goings on

and wonderful accomplish-ments of current and alumni

Humphreys. Keep your eye

out for it later in July.

But we still want to hear

from you on our Facebook

group, which is designed for

Fellows, alums, coordinators

ans hosts. If you have news,

views, or updates, join our

“Humphrey Fellows- Max-

well School, Syracuse Uni-

versity” group on Facebook.

You can post thoughts, share

photos and join the conversa-

tion– it’s a great way to keep in touch with past and cur-

rent Maxwell Humphrey Fel-

lows!

We always love to hear what

our alums are doing and will

post in the next newsletter.

Please pass along any news you

wish to share- and photos, too!

You can post on our Facebook

group page or email Martha at

[email protected].

Maxwell’s Humphrey Fellow

Linked In is also a growing

group. Feel free to check us

out at:

http://www.linkedin.com

Maxwell’s Humphrey website http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/

exed/sites/About_Humphrey/

Keeping in

touch… we’re

closer than ever! Khaled AlAjmi, a 2010-2011

Humphrey alum, is the General

Manager of the Saudi National

Unemployment Assistance

(Hafiz). In May, Hafiz won the

International Telecommunication

Union (ITU) prize in the category

of eEmployment. More than 170

agencies from over 50 countries

competed for the prize. The ITU

is the technology arm of the

United Nations. Congratulations

Khaled! (Right: Khaled AlAjmi, front row

third from left)

Alumni Updates

Nimrod Goren, 2009-2010 Humphrey alum keeps his Maxwell

connections going. Recently, a Letter of Understanding was final-

ized between Maxwell’s PARCC, the Program for the Advance-

ment of Research on Conflict and Collaboration and Nimrod’s

NGO, Mitvim - the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.

This initiative aims to strengthen and formalize the connection

between Mitvim and PARCC in the area of teaching and research.

Through this collaboration, PARCC hopes to: (a) become more

aware of the possibilities for new approaches to Israel’s engage-

ment with countries in the Middle East and Mediterranean re-

gions; and, (b) gain a better understanding of the scholars, practi-

tioners, think tanks, and governmental and non-governmental

agencies in Israel, MENA regions, Europe and other countries that

are working to facilitate these new regional approaches.

Miriam Elman, Associate Professor of Political Science at Maxwell

and a faculty member in PARCC, will be travelling to Israel in July

to present a talk on “Spoilers of Peace and the Dilemmas of Con-

flict Resolution: a Literature Review and Lessons for Israel's

Peacemaking.”

Right: 2011-2012 Humph-

rey Fellow Gang Sheng

gave a presentation on

Chengdu’s emergency re-

sponse to its tragic earth-

quake at the Universidad

del Este in Puerto Rico.

This was at the invitation of

Anne L. Howard Tristani (in

yellow), Vice Chancellor for

International, Federal and

Corporate Affairs for the

University. She is Hubert

H. Humphrey’s niece.

Professor

Miriam Elman

Nimrod Goren

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4172366&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/exed/sites/About_Humphrey/

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/exed/sites/About_Humphrey/

2011-2012 Humphrey Newsletter

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Transcript of 2011-2012 Humphrey Newsletter