Dean Crocker Calls Bush School Students to Action

“Go to hard places and do hard things.” Students at The Bush School of Government and Public Service have heard my call to action before, and they heard it again at the school’s May commencement ceremony. As former ambassador to six Middle Eastern countries, I’m a firm believer in the power of diplomacy, whether it entails sitting around a table with Iranian diplomats discussing war and peace or talking with gang members on the streets of Los Angeles. Our graduates can do both.

Diplomacy, I’ve learned, is a whole lot cheaper in terms of blood and treasure than is the use of force.

The concept of going to hard places and doing hard things isn’t novel to any of our students; in fact, it’s the reason most choose to attend the Bush School. Students enroll with a desire to better our world, and my greatest satisfaction is that they leave here two years later fully equipped to do so.

While we are proud to bear the name of a man I tremendously admire, former President George H.W. Bush, we are a nonpartisan training ground for public servants—not for politicians. Our mission is precise, and we therefore focus on two programs alone: the Master’s Program in International Affairs (MPIA) and the Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) program. For MPIA graduates, going to hard places might involve diplomatic or intelligence efforts in war zones or developing countries, while hard places for our MPSA graduates could entail working for nongovernmental organizations abroad or staying in the United States to tackle challenges in inner-city or impoverished rural areas.

During my Foreign Service career, I was privileged to be involved in a number of high-stakes diplomacy efforts. These days, though, while I’m occasionally called upon for advice, I leave negotiating to the active diplomats.

But while I take a backseat role, our students are being called upon to conduct studies and to present policy options that address real-world issues. Through capstone projects, they work in teams to identify ways to approach an issue or to find a solution, usually for a government agency or a nonprofit organization. Unlike capstones at other institutions, however, ours aren’t fabricated: each one is completed for a paying client.

This year, the U.S. Department of State called upon our students to recommend a U.S. policy toward Iran. Joint efforts with other Texas A&M groups led students to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to research health service delivery in Liberia. Internships are likewise required of our students. Such opportunities range from local nonprofit involvement to studying Arabic in Beirut.

While public service is highly valued by the American people, it is not always financially rewarding. But we must be able to draw in the most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances. President Bush feels strongly—as do I—that any student who sacrifices financial gain to serve others should not be expected to do the nation’s work under a crushing burden of debt. Each and every one of our students therefore receives some level of financial assistance. As we grow, however, the generosity of donors becomes even more crucial to funding scholarships.

Likewise, we must recruit the best faculty to teach these promising students, and to provide critical employment and internship contacts. Some of our faculty members have worked at the world’s most prestigious universities, while others made their mark in the U.S. Foreign Service, the CIA or globally recognized nonprofit agencies. They are constantly recruited by other universities. With the help of donors, we provide endowed chairs, faculty fellowships and travel and research funds needed to attract and retain them at The Bush School.

In his 1991 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush delivered the oft-quoted lines: “let future generations understand the burden and the blessings of freedom. Let them say, we stood where duty required us to stand.” He certainly did. I certainly tried. And our graduates—now 1,000 strong—are going forward throughout this country and this world following in his footsteps.

By Ryan C. Crocker
Dean and Executive Professor
Holder of the Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair
The Bush School of Government and Public Service

This article was originally published in the summer 2014 issue of Spirit magazine.

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You can support the Bush School of Government and Public Service with a gift of an endowment to the Texas A&M Foundation. For additional information or to learn more about scholarships, research and program-focused giving to the Bush School of Government and Public Service, contact Jessica McCann '07 with the Foundation at (800) 392-3310, (979) 458-8035 or jmccann@txamfoundation.com.