The principle deputy and adviser to the U.S. secretary of state and the holder of the highest rank in the Foreign Service will be a part of a discussion on foreign policy Friday.

The event, about U.S. foreign policy priorities, will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will examine the challenges and opportunities the state department faces in the coming year.

Burns earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from La Salle University and master’s and doctorate philosophy degrees in international relations from Oxford University, according to the U.S. State Department’s website. While at Oxford, Burns studied as a Marshall Scholar.

Burns is also a recipient of three honorary doctoral degrees and the author of ‘Economic Aid and American Policy Toward Egypt, 1955-1981.’ He speaks Russian, Arabic and French, and he has received two Presidential Distinguished Service Awards.

In 1994, Burns was on Time magazine’s list of the ’50 Most Promising American Leaders Under Age 40′ and on Time’s list of ‘100 Young Global Leaders,’ according to the website.

He was invited to speak at Syracuse University by Maxwell Dean James Steinberg. Steinberg held Burns’ position before becoming dean of Maxwell.

Brian Taylor, associate professor of political science, said Burns is an expert in his field.

‘Basically, he’s number two at the state department,’ he said. ‘Other than have Obama or Clinton come, Burns is about the highest person you can get to come talk about U.S. foreign policy.’

Taylor said the presentation will be streamed online on Maxwell’s website. He said he hopes students will learn a lot from the talk.

‘Any SU student who attends this talk will come away with a better understanding of what the key foreign policy priorities of the Obama administration are,’ he said.

Taylor said he believes anyone can learn something about U.S. foreign policy. This talk will give people more insight into foreign policy and its influence in different parts of the world.

Burns is very excited to visit Syracuse and, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is committed to the outreach of youth around the world, said Colleen Neville, a special assistant at the State Department.

Since taking office in July 2011, Burns has visited multiple universities in the United States and around the world, including Tokyo, Yale and Texas A&M universities. He also engages with student groups that visit the State Department, Neville said.

Burns held a number of positions before taking the deputy job, including ambassador to both Russia and Jordan, the undersecretary for political affairs and assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, according to the website.

Burns has assisted the secretary of state in many foreign policy matters since taking office, including democratic transitions in the Middle East and efforts to sustain relationships with allies around the world.

nrcardon@syr.edu 

Published on April 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Nick: nrcardon@syr.edu