As we welcome Ambassador Nancy McEldowney as Director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service program on July 1, it is time to give thanks to Tony Arend, and wish him well in his endeavors as Senior Associate Dean of Graduate and Faculty Affairs in the School of Foreign Service.
Tony has served as MSFS Director for 9 years, but his tenure at Georgetown began well before that. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, Tony began his now 30-year career at Georgetown as a Professor in the Government Department. Since then, he has held positions throughout the university, including Director of the International Relations Program for High School Students; Vice President of the Georgetown University Faculty Senate; and Founder and Director of the Institute for International Law and Politics.
Tony’s tireless dedication to the Georgetown community has not gone unnoticed. Time and again, his colleagues have expressed their appreciation through honors and awards, including for his efforts in teaching, service, and community contribution. More recently, in addition to receiving the 2015 Constantine E. McGuire Medal for Outstanding Service in the School of Foreign Service, Tony received the John Carroll Award. Conferred upon alumni whose achievements and record of service exemplify the ideals and traditions of Georgetown and its founder, the John Carroll Award is the highest honor awarded by the Georgetown University Alumni Association.
In 2008, Tony began his tenure as Director of MSFS. In addition to overseeing the leadership team and faculty, Tony has represented the program both within and outside the Georgetown community. His enthusiastic leadership has facilitated the development and continued success of the MSFS program. In 2008, Tony spearheaded both the internal and external reviews of the MSFS program, which resulted in a Strategic Plan for improving the program. This included the creation of the MSFS Learning Goals, as well as the formal articulation of the program’s core values of leadership, creativity, ethics and service. Additionally, he instituted the biannual Gettysburg Leadership Staff Ride, an interactive seminar held at Gettysburg National Military Park that applies lessons of leadership, communications and strategy to students’ career development. Notably, Tony headed the establishment of the MSFS Board of Advisors in 2011, designed to advise MSFS on issues relating to curriculum, career development, alumni relations and fundraising. The Board is composed of members representing the alumni, business, policy-making and student communities.
Tony has been a positive influence on the MSFS program as a whole – on students, professors, and colleagues alike. When asked to reflect on Tony’s impact on MSFS, a common theme of support, wisdom, and appreciation was expressed by all.
“Tony embodies what MSFS stands for – excellence in learning, deep commitment to our students and the wider Georgetown community, and ethical service to others. He has been an outstanding, energetic, and committed director who will be missed!” – Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, MSFS Concentration Chair
“More than just a professor or administrator, Tony was a dedicated mentor and friend to the MSFS community. His commitment to the values of the program and the university’s Jesuit ethos has helped to cultivate a generation of creative and ethical servant leaders.” – Brendan Foo, MSFS ‘15
“Tony Arend was by any measure the best director in the history of the MSFS program. I speak with some authority on that subject, since I was one of the lesser members of that cohort. Tony was far above me and everyone else who tried to do the job. He will be missed by all who have been and are part of MSFS.” – Jim Reardon-Anderson, Sun Yat-sen Professor of Chinese Studies
“I’ve known Tony Arend since I took Dynamics of International Relations my sophomore year in SFS in 1987. He’s been a great teacher, mentor and friend for 30 years. It’s been a special honor to have worked with Tony in his role as Director of MSFS and in my role as MSFS advisory board chair. Tony’s leadership has been inspiring, his energy limitless, his wisdom on international law critical in today’s world, and his commitment to Georgetown and to his colleagues and students simply unparalleled. Tony embodies all it means to be a Hoya, and we are all in his debt.” – Michael Samway, Chair of MSFS Advisory Board
“The very first impression I had of Georgetown had a name: Tony Arend. An introduction to graduate school worthy of a Broadway performance, he was, and remains, dynamic, genuine and totally committed to his students and the school. I am honored to be his student and his friend.” – Rebecca Bou Chebel-MacMillan, MSFS ‘10
From all of us at MSFS, thank you Tony!