By G. Patrick Revere
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 1, 1997

Diplomat's new assignment leads her to UA

Illustration by Zach Thomas Arizona Daily Wildcat Before coming to the UA, Barbara Harvey spent four years as the deputy chief of mission for the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Harvey has also served as a diplomat in Singapore, North Korea, Vietnam and Laos among others.

Barbara Harvey has been to Arizona just once, but she feels like she's coming home.

After nearly 20 years in Indonesia as a senior United States diplomat, Harvey is coming back to the state she visited once, 30 years ago.

Each year the Department of State places senior foreign service officers at universities around the nation to serve as U.S. diplomats in residence. For the 1997-98 school year, Harvey has been assigned to the University of Arizona

Coming to a place where she hasn't spent much time is something Harvey likes.

"That was one of the main attractions in coming here," said Harvey. "You don't realize how little of the United States you've seen until you've spent so much time representing your government overseas."

According to Paul Rosenblatt, the university's director of international affairs, less than 10 diplomats were placed throughout the nation last year.

"It's interesting that (the Department of State) feels that we're doing enough here in our international studies program that they'd appoint someone here," Rosenblatt said. "Obviously they thought it would be good for Dr. Harvey, too ... they thought it was a match."

Harvey has an office set up on the first floor of the Harvill Building, and will be working closely with students and instructors in the department of international affairs and the international studies program.

"I'd like to see her out in the public school system and at Pima College, too," Rosenblatt said. "It's very important to share her with the city and the state."

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat Barbara Harvey, after spending 20 years as a senior United States diplomat in Indonesia, has been placed by the Department of State at the University of Arizona to act as a diplomat in residence. Harvey will be working with students and instructors in the department of international affairs and the international studies program.

Most recently, Harvey served as deputy chief of mission for the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. She started that position in 1993 after working in Surabaya for three years as principal officer of the American Consulate. She has also worked in Singapore, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia dating back to 1960.

"I was there to oversee State Department functions, make sure things are coordinated and problems are headed off," Harvey said of her time spent in Jakarta.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, and boasts a population nearing 9 million.

Harvey, who did her undergraduate work at George Washington University and received a doctorate in Government from Cornell University, said she spent a lot of time helping the United States Information Service in doing epidemiological studies.

"I was able to help them in a couple ways," she said. "Like when they needed to get a new lab into the country I was there to offer a little more push."

As diplomat in residence, Harvey said, she will have several duties for both the university and the United States government. She said she expects to do a large amount of career and academic advising, lecturing, as well as doing workshops and classes. Harvey, however, will not be teaching any courses full-time.

"It seems like it would be good for students to have someone like that to talk to," said Ali Farsah, a junior in the College of Engineering and Mines who takes English as a second language classes through the international affairs program. "It's nice to have someone around who has so many different experiences in other parts of the world."

The State Department has other interests in having Harvey in Arizona.

"We have internships, we offer the foreign service exam and we hire people in various specialized fields such as information management," Harvey said. "This is all part of the recruiting process."

Harvey said DOS is interested in Arizona because the federal government employs many people from the east and west coasts, but have fewer people from other regions.

"We want a more diverse group of people," she said. "Arizona is good for that because there is a very diverse student population here."

Harvey said the State Department employs about 25,000 diplomats, more than 10,000 of which work as foreign service nationals. Foreign service nationals are employees of the U.S. government serving in their country of citizenship.

"It's interesting and there are always new challenges," Harvey said. "But you're always uprooting and leaving friends ... I don't think someone who dislikes moving would be happy doing what I do."