(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)March 2, 2010

(MAHWAH, NJ) – Ambassador George Staples, a Schomburg Scholar, will present a lecture and speak to classes at Ramapo College March 10 through 12.  The theme of his lecture, as well as talks to classes, is “Genocide and Civil War in Africa.”  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Ambassador George M. Staples was a career member of the Foreign Service for 25 years and was Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of the Bureau of Human Resources at the U.S. Department of State. He was also the Political Advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) at NATO in Belgium.  From 1998 through 2001 he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, followed by his service from 2001 through 2004 as U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.  Ambassador Staples has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Bahrain and Zimbabwe, Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operation Center, and as Senior Turkey Desk Officer in the Bureau of European Affairs during the first Gulf War.  His other assignments include:  The Bahamas, Uruguay, and El Salvador.  He also served as a National Security Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Prior to joining the State Department, Ambassador Staples served as a military officer in the U.S. Air Force, and as a manager in private industry.  Ambassador Staples speaks French, Spanish and Turkish.

Ambassador Staples, who holds the rank of Career Minister, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1947.  He received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California and an M.A. in Business from Central Michigan University.
Ambassador Staples is an adjunct professor for diplomacy and development at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Diplomacy. Founded in 1983, the Academy “…explore[s] ways in which persons who had served in positions of major responsibility could cooperate to promote the highest standards in the practice of American diplomacy.”

The lecture, “Genocide and Civil War in Africa”will be presented Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in Friends Hall (SC 219) in the Robert A. Scott Student Center on the campus of Ramapo College.  The event is supported by a grant from the Schomburg Visiting Scholars Program. It will take place under the auspices of the Africana Studies program, the Diversity Action Committee, and the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies of Ramapo College.

For additional information, please contact Michael Riff, mriff@ramapo.edu or 201.684.7409.

For media inquiries, contact Anna Farneski, assistant vice president, Marketing and Communications, 201.684.6844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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