Webster University's campus in Accra, Ghana, recently hosted Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II for a brief interactive session with students, faculty and staff. He shared his experiences as a diplomat and his overall professional experiences in Africa and the field of international relations.
Brigety was appointed by former U.S. President Barack Obama as the U.S. representative to the African Union from 2013-2015. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of African Affairs and currently serves as the Dean of the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Through the Elliot School, he has also built an impressive Institute of African Affairs.
The Webster Ghana campus was the first institution he visited while on a 12-day African and European tour. He also visited the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Journalism, and alumni from the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Center (YALI/RLC) program while in Accra.
At Webster, Brigety led a brief session with Webster Ghana campus director Christa Sanders, faculty and undergraduate students on campus experiences.
Most students expressed their appreciation for the small class sizes at Webster Ghana as well as the overall welcoming environment and diversity in the classrooms, providing students with a unique opportunity to interact with people from all around the world. Students also mentioned leadership opportunities such as coordinating student conferences, seminars and study abroad opportunities at Webster’s international network campuses.
Visiting faculty also contributed to the discussion with Fung Hong-Gay, an international faculty member currently at the Ghana campus teaching graduate Business Administration courses, sharing that his comparative research on Ghana and China had inspired him to visit Ghana and teach at the Webster Ghana campus.
The session ended with discussions of possible collaborations with the Webster Ghana campus in the near future. Students, staff and faculty all greatly benefited from interaction with Brigety.