Department of State Foreign Service Officer to Address UA Students

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — David Newell, a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State, will present a lecture, “Lessons Learned from a Life Abroad,” Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. in room 205 of the Gorgas Library on The University of Alabama campus.

His lecture, part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Lecture Series, is sponsored by UA’s departments of political science, English, history and New College and the Blount Undergraduate Initiative, all part of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Newell is a 1975 UA alumnus who received his bachelor’s degree in political science and minored in English and history and his law degree from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1978. He has worked in the U.S. foreign service since 1989, holding numerous overseas posts including in Jamaica, France, Slovakia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

He will speak about his experiences abroad and some of the pleasures, as well as hardships, one encounters while working in numerous countries abroad.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Department of State’s Glenn Munro Award for Outstanding Potential and Leadership. In his position as dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies at the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, he oversees 11 divisions, including political, economic, consular, public diplomacy and management-tradecraft training, as well as specialized training.

While visiting UA, Newell will also meet informally with graduate and undergraduate students.

“David Newell’s accomplished career demonstrates the power of a liberal arts education,” said Dr. Robert Olin, dean of the UA College of Arts and Sciences. “As a foreign service officer, diplomat and expert administrator, David has used all of his academic areas of interest to serve our country, both in the United States and abroad, adapting to, and learning from, many cultures in the process. We welcome him back to the Capstone and look forward to David sharing his unique experiences and insights with our students.”

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Its students have won national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.