 Tom Homan was a presence at a forum on U.S. foreign policy at St. Scholastica | As the College attempts to increase its
diversity on campus, it's looking beyond America's borders. Tom Homan is helping the effort. Homan is a 25-year veteran of the U.S. State Department. He served in many of the world's hot spots, including Berlin just before the Berlin Wall came down, and throughout the Middle East to Pakistan and India. "I spent 21 of 25 years overseas, which is something of a record," he said with a small laugh. |
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"Most people come back. But I was in the Middle East a lot and things kept happening.
You can make a pretty good career if you're in a place where you can be useful." He returned to the United States in 1998, hoping to teach at a small college or university. He came to Duluth via marriage to a woman from Minnesota. Last fall he arrived at St. Scholastica to teach an undergraduate course on issues in international diplomacy. "The focus sharpened after Sept. 11," he said. "It's an intensely interesting time to watch as the various players around the world stake out their positions, both through bilateral relations and through international force." The class also discussed diplomatic tensions involving Serbia, Cuba and Korea. This semester he's teaching a course in which his class discusses new essays about nine critical foreign relations issues in the news. He has also taken on a bigger role, as director of international education. He is charged with bringing more international students to campus at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and increasing international opportunities for students. "We'd like to see the diversity level rise on campus," he said, "so it becomes a more intellectually dynamic institution that's world-reflective. If we're limited to our geographic region in the United States, which many of us Americans tend to be, we miss an opportunity to learn from what the world has to offer." For instance? "For instance, there's such a push for American companies to go overseas. Well, the 1.2 billion Chinese are now in the World Trade Organization. The way American business has to present itself to China, and to other countries overseas, is very different from 1 years ago. There's a real need to understand other cultures so that we can sustain American values while providing impetus to the world economy." Homan's efforts complement the already existing exchange and outreach efforts of his colleagues in the College's Languages and International Studies department. "There's a sense that as our student diversity increases there will be a concomitant globalization of the curriculum. More international students, more opportunities for internship with international institutions, more exchanges. The time is really appropriate for us to go to another level in this area." |
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