Ryan Crocker ’71, a five-time U.S. ambassador and recipient of the U.S. Medal of Freedom, retired from the Foreign Service in early 2009 from a storied diplomatic career that included Iraq as his final post. Described by former President Bush as “America’s Lawrence of Arabia” and by President Barack Obama as “an example of the very best this nation has to offer,” Crocker, a Whitman overseer, has made involvement with his alma mater a priority, including campus visits.

Schedule of Events

Monday, Nov. 9

• 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Public Lecture:  “From Iraq to Afghanistan: Engagement and Confrontation in the Broader Middle East”  From his unique perspective as a diplomat, Ambassador Crocker will discuss recent history and current events in the Middle East. Maxey Auditorium.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Office Hours  Sign up in advance at the President's Office reception area (Memorial Building).

• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Student Workshop:  “Public service versus personal conviction: What to do when they collide?”  Ambassador Ryan Crocker will lead a discussion on the dilemmas that arise for public servants when policies diverge from one's own sense of what is right. Advance registration and reading assignment required. (registration closed, workshop is full).

Thursday, Nov. 12

• 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Office Hours  Sign up in advance at the President's Office reception area (Memorial Building). 

• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Office Hours  Sign up in advance at the President's Office reception area (Memorial Building). 

• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Faculty & Staff Seminar:  “The U.S. Role in the World”  Ambassador Ryan Crocker will lead a discussion on the ways in which the U.S. might employ various instruments of power in dealing with challenges in the Middle East. Advance registration and reading assignment required. Click here to register (for faculty and staff only).

Sponsored by the President's Office and the O'Donnell Visiting Educators Program