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July 26, 2005

Fletcher’s GMAP Program Graduates 29 International Affairs Leaders

On July 23rd, The Fletcher School held its second commencement ceremony of the year, this time celebrating the graduation of the fifth Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP). The unique GMAP program, offering mid-career professionals worldwide the opportunity to pursue a one-year Masters degree in an interdisciplinary course of study in a combined residency and distance-learning format, conferred its degree upon 29 graduates in the main quadrangle at Tufts University.

Fletcher Senior Associate Dean and the Director of the GMAP program Deborah Nutter welcomed the crowd of faculty, students and family members, followed by Fletcher Dean Stephen Bosworth.

Unlike the pomp and circumstance of the Tufts-wide commencement exercises on May 22nd, or even the smaller Fletcher MALD, MA and PhD commencement that spring afternoon, the GMAP graduation ceremony reflected the small and intimate nature of the program. After spending a final two weeks “in residence” on the Medford campus, the students enjoyed their final moments together as a class, an inimitable feeling given the relative isolation of each student as they worked remotely from their laptop computers for most of the year. While a technologically advanced program, GMAP has maintained a close sense of community both through on-line exchanges among students and faculty and during three residency periods. GMAP ’05 began and ended its academic calendar at the Fletcher campus, and held its mid-year residency in Singapore in January. Popular Fletcher Professor John Hammock, familiar with this GMAP class after advising a number of the graduates’ theses, gave the farewell presentation on behalf of the entire faculty. His words inspired the students to reserve a place for emotion in their continued career paths.

During his speech, Hammock stepped away from the podium and asked all of the graduates to stand. He talked directly to the members of GMAP ’05, urging them to stand – figuratively and literally – for something they believed in.

Dr. Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s Ambassador to the US, gave the keynote address, drawing on her international diplomatic career spanning nearly 25 years. A published author, Ambassador Chan encouraged the class to invest – in multiple senses of the word – in Asia and especially in Singapore, and was well received by all.

GMAP’s draw has been not only in uniting accomplished international professionals, but in bringing Fletcher’s strong academic tradition to those in an advanced-career position whose work does not allow them to attend a conventional residence program. One such student was this year’s class speaker, Nileema Noble. Ms Noble, Deputy Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in Ethiopia, spoke highly of the opportunities that GMAP offered her, while allowing her to remain in her full-time position with UNDP.

Another GMAP ’05 graduate, Dirk Swart, hails from South Africa but has been living in Ithaca, New York, and works at Cornell University as a Program Manager. For Swart, GMAP’s value was twofold: “I was interested in a career switch, and the program – team-oriented study paired with distance learning, allowed me to leverage my strengths to change direction. Plus, the connections that I’ve gained in the process are proving invaluable.”

In honor of the success of the first five years of the GMAP program, Fletcher will be holding a “First Five” Reunion this October in Washington DC. With receptions, panel discussions and other opportunities for the first five classes of this unique program to interact, Swart, the 2005 class representative, promises that the immediacy of the reunion proves that this July’s graduation is more of “a beginning, rather than an ending.”

Article by Stephanie Lindenbaum, MALD '05

Posted by jessica at July 26, 2005 07:33 AM