Ronald K. McMullen, ambassador to the state of Eritrea and Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Texas at Austin, is scheduled to visit NDSU on Monday, June 6. He will be in North Dakota to promote student internships and career opportunities with the U.S. State Department.
McMullen will facilitate an informational meeting for NDSU students and faculty from 11 a.m. to noon in the Memorial Union’s Arikara room. Following the session, the NDSU Career Center will host the ambassador and identified faculty and staff for a lunch conversation.
According to information on the University of Texas website, McMullen has more than 28 years of diplomatic experience and has lived, worked or traveled to nearly 90 countries. A native of Northwood, Iowa, McMullen’s career with the State Department has provided a variety of interesting and rare opportunities. His biography says McMullen worked with Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and a number of pro-democracy groups in Burma. While posted in Fiji, he helped prevent civil strife following a takeover of parliament. He reportedly was shot at during a riot in Sri Lanka and also helped train mongooses to detect heroin. In addition, McMullen survived a curse in the Dominican Republic, and escorted Hillary Clinton on a tour of South Africa’s Robben Island with Nelson Mandela.
He has served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, Fiji, South Africa, Gabon, Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic and Sudan.
McMullen also was visiting professor at the Military Academy at West Point for three years. He received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award three times. He earned his doctorate in political science at the University of Iowa.