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Alumni Come Home to SIPA
About 150 alumni returned to SIPA on April 16 for the School’s third annual Alumni Day.
Beyond providing an opportunity for alumni to visit with old friends and network with new ones, this year’s Alumni Day gave attendees a front-row seat for the hottest current events of the day, with a series of discussions on President Obama’s performance, U.S.-China trade, Afghanistan, and flashpoints in the Middle East, capped off by remarks from a prominent broadcast news anchor and SIPA alumna.
Alumni chose from a range of sessions:
Afghanistan: Is There an End Game was moderated by Professor Austin Long. It featured panelists Vikram Singh (MIA ’03), who works at the U.S. State Department and previously reported to the late diplomat Richard Holbrooke, and Cris Stephen (MIA’ 99), who works in Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations.
President Obama’s Future: A One-term President? was moderated by Jun Choi (MPA ’99), who served as mayor of Edison, New Jersey, the youngest person ever elected to that post.
The discussion also featured a lecture by Professor Dorian Warren.
The third panel of the morning session was entitled The Chinese Challenge: Myths and Realities. It featured moderator Ned Cloonan (MIA ’77), former vice-president of external relations at American International Group, and a lecture by Professor Merit Janow.
The second session of the day began with the presentation of a video recorded message from Lisa Anderson, former SIPA dean and now president of the American University in Cairo. Anderson offered her warm wishes to alumni and shared her experiences during the Egyptian protests. 
A panel discussion followed – Flashpoints: The Middle East – moderated by David Ottaway (International Fellow ’63). A former journalist, Ottaway has received numerous accolades for his coverage of the Middle East, including an Overseas Press Club Award in 1981 for his coverage of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s assassination. He currently serves as senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Panelists for the discussion were Jean-Pierre Filiu, the Alliance Sciences Po visiting professor at SIPA, and Professor Gary Sick.
Lunch featured a few words from Dean John Coatsworth, who delivered an update on the year’s progress at SIPA and recent fundraising successes. Susie Gharib (MIA ’74), anchor of PBS’s “Nightly Business Report” delivered the keynote address, during which she discussed the state of the U.S. and global economy.
Alex Burnett, April 18, 2011