Congratulations Graduates!

J. Brian Atwood
2015 Maxwell Convocation Keynote Speaker

Today, our 2015 Spring graduates celebrate their accomplishments at the Maxwell School Spring Convocation Ceremony.  The Office will be closed in the afternoon for the ceremony and reception. We are very excited for our 2015 graduates and cannot wait to see what wonderful success they have in their careers.

The ceremony will begin at 2:00 pm in Setnor Auditorium in Crouse College. It is open to all members of the Syracuse University community.  A reception will immediately follow in Maxwell Foyer.

The keynote address will be given by J. Brian Atwood, former administrator of the US Agency for International Development, and dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.  His talk is entitled, “Diplomacy in a Counter-Intuitive World“.

Atwood has had a long, outstanding career in public service.  In 2001, he served on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Panel on Peace Operations.  Prior to his appointment as head of USAID in 1993, he served as undersecretary of state for management during the Clinton administration.  During the Carter administration, he was assistant secretary of state for congressional relations.

Atwood was the first president of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, serving from 1986-1993.  Earlier, he was legislative advisor for foreign and defense policy to Senator Thomas Eagleton following service as a career diplomat.

Please join us in congratulating our graduates and wishing them well as they leave to begin the next stage of their public and international service careers!