At Penn, students are constantly reminded to think globally. One Penn alum took this advice literally, and he is now surrounded by 192 countries on a daily basis.
Wharton MBA alum Hugh Dugan is not a perpetual globe-trotter - he is a United States delegate to the United Nations and member of the United States Diplomatic Corps.
Dugan was on campus last night as the third and final guest of the "Careers in International Policy" Career Services Speaker Series.
"We talk, and . what I say is reported back to the other capitals, if the other delegates are doing their job," Dugan said of his role as a U.N. delegate.
More specifically, he gets "guidance" on issues from the Department of State and the necessary policy experts and reports that information at U.N. meetings. After reaching a consensus on a resolution, it is sent back to Washington for implementation.
"Whatever meets consensus [at the U.N.] is what's going to ultimately be adopted," he explained.
If this sounds like dull work, it is actually anything but. Dugan has worked on resolutions that include the tracking of developments in the Middle East, the state of the global economy, and the "Olympics Truce" that is made every four years and, according to Dugan, is "the most supported in U.N. history."
Dugan added that "it's kind of miraculous that we come to consensus on so many issues so often," considering that 192 countries are involved in each decision and the potential for disagreement is high.
Though this 19-year veteran jokes that it is a "deal with the devil" that has kept him at the U.N. for so long, it is really the cultural diversity that makes his job enjoyable.
"It's a very rich environment for me professionally," he said, adding that at any moment it is possible to talk to someone from Ireland, Cuba or Botswana.
For students interested in following in his footsteps and entering a professional career in diplomacy, Dugan emphasized the importance of spending some time working in Washington, D.C.
"I'd say that if you're thinking of government [work], it would be good to start on [Capitol] Hill for a year," he said. "Time on the Hill is time well-spent."
College senior Jen Nath found this advice particularly helpful, saying that despite friends' complaints that work on the Hill is too slow, "it was good to see that it can still be useful."
Dugan noted that on a campus like Penn, "to be engaged in diplomacy is happening for you . I just happen to get paid for it!"
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