The TAM Fall Break trip to DC this year was definitely one of the semester’s highlights. Students arrived in DC on Wednesday, October 18th. One of them had arranged for a tour of the US Capitol Building that afternoon, and about two-thirds of the class was able to join. The next day, we started out with a fascinating visit to the Northern Ireland Bureau. One of our TAM graduates hosted us there, and we enjoyed coffee and treats as Norman Houston, the Bureau’s Director, talked to us about the history of Northern Ireland and some of the key issues facing this part of the UK now – Brexit. We then went to the World Bank where we enjoyed lunch with another TAM grad and were the very first group to tour the new World Bank Group Visitor Center. We felt extra special since this Center was not yet open to the public at the time of our visit. From there we went on to The Atlantic Council and enjoyed a session with representatives from their Global Business and Economics Program. That evening we met up with about twenty-five TAM alumni at Tonic for a reception.
The next day, Friday, October 20th, we started out with coffee and treats at the US Chamber of Commerce. Our grad there serves as the Director of European Affairs. He provided a fascinating discussion about his work at the Chamber. From there we went to the Delegation of the EU to the US. We met with Bill Burros, Senior Political Advisor in the Political, Security, and Development Section, and Tim Rivera, a Program Officer in the Press and Public Diplomacy Section. Finally, we stopped in at the US Department of State where we met with two TAM graduates. One is a Foreign Service Officer and the other is a Civil Service Officer. This annual DC trip is designed to expose TAM students to a variety of professional settings and to members of our alumni network. In addition, students connect with relevant experts in the field of transatlantic affairs.
On Friday evening members of TAM’s Alumni External Advisory Board met with TAM’s Associate Director and the Center for European Studies’ Executive Director to discuss recent program developments and to start to plan events related to TAM’s upcoming 20th anniversary year. Many thanks to all of our hosts and especially to the many TAM graduates who work hard to ensure for the continued success of the program!
