At first glance, Deborah Schwartz's office looks like that of a typical professor. A picture on her wall, however, reveals she isn't the average academic.
The photograph shows Duke's newest Diplomat in Residence talking with former President Bill Clinton in Haiti's Presidential Palace. The two went to Port-au-Prince in 1995 to observe the formal handover of military control from U.S. troops to a multinational force.
"As a foreign service officer you get to have a challenging career doing different things where you're truly making a difference," Schwartz said. "You can leave your mark all over the world."
For the next year, Schwartz will try to leave her mark at Duke. She is one of 17 senior foreign service officers the State Department has assigned to universities across the country for the 2005-2006 academic year.
Her primary role as Diplomat in Residence will be to recruit qualified students at Duke and nearby schools to careers in the foreign service.
Schwartz joined the foreign service in 1975 as an economic officer. With the exception of a stint as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American embassy in Honduras, Schwartz has spent the the past 30 years as an economic specialist in the State Department.
Vice Provost for International Affairs Gilbert Merkx said diplomats in residence benefit the University by sharing both their experiences in foreign countries and their first-hand knowledge of international affairs.
"[Schwartz] has served all over the world and speaks several languages," Merkx wrote in an e-mail. "She is also a very approachable person and easy to get to know."
In Israel, Schwartz helped establish joint ventures between Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and Egyptians.
"Once the Intifada began, I was also involved in humanitarian issues and trying to get humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians," Schwartz said.
In Nigeria, Schwartz streamlined the investment process for American oil companies by fighting corruption and bureaucratic red tape.
Intellectual property concerns consumed much of her time in Taiwan and Mexico.
"When I was in Mexico, intellectual property protection was a big issue, and we couldn't get the Mexican government to focus on it," Schwartz said.
She organized a seminar with Viacom chief executive officer Sumner Redstone, one of the producers of the movie Troy, which was filmed in Mexico, and the chief executive of BMG Music to discuss the problem with government officials.
"It was the first time the Mexican government really got it, understood that the lack of intellectual property protection was costing the country jobs, because these companies were not expanding their operations in Mexico," Schwartz said.
Schwartz said she disagrees with some scholars who argue the foreign service and State Department have lost influence in recent years.
"Administrations change, and we are still foreign service officers. We are bureaucrats, and we serve the president, whoever he or she may be," Schwartz said. "If you're coming in to change the world, forget it. You are one person. But you can still make a difference."
Tucker Nielsen, a second-year student at the Fuqua School of Business whom Schwartz is coaching through the lengthy foreign service application process, agreed with Merkx's assessment of the University's new diplomat in residence.
"She is very professional, very helpful, and very passionate about what she's doing," Nielsen said. "She was more than willing to sit down and talk with me."
Schwartz earned her bachelor's degree and an MBA in international finance from George Washington University.
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