Dillard to host U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman

NEW ORLEANS–U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit Dillard University to participate in an event at 11 a.m., April 11 in Georges Auditorium in the Professional Schools and Sciences Building. Sherman will speak with students about U.S. foreign policy, how U.S. foreign policy is made stronger through diversity, and careers and paid student programs at the U.S. Department of State. The event will be streamed on Dillard Live.

The event will build on the partnership between Dillard and the U.S. Department of State. With the support of a State Department IDEAS grant, Dillard created its first dedicated study abroad program office. Separately, six Dillard students have participated in the State Department’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad and provides them skills critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our students,” said Dr. Rochelle Ford, president of Dillard. “The University community hears me emphasize Dillard’s mission to cultivate ethical leaders constantly, and I am sure that Deputy Secretary Sherman’s visit will show our students why that is so important. More than ever, the world needs great leaders. I’m looking forward to this visit opening our students’ eyes to the possibilities.”

In December, Dillard alumna Karmel Reeves was awarded a 2023 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. The Pickering Fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University. It supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The Pickering Fellowship will support Reeves through a two-year master’s degree in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service.

At Dillard, the Deputy Secretary will underscore the State Department’s continuing engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority serving institutions. The visit precedes the State Department’s inaugural minority-serving institutions conference, which will be held April 14 in Washington, D.C.

About Dillard University
Dillard University is a historically Black institution that cultivates leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely, and act courageously to make the world a better place. Located in New Orleans, Dillard is a private faith-based liberal arts university that offers 22 majors and two certificate programs. Ranked 5th on 2021 The New York Times Overall Mobility Index and 14th in 2022 by Academic Influence for Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship, Dillard’s call to future leaders is to Write Your Legacy. Find out more about Louisiana’s oldest HBCU by visiting www.dillard.edu.