Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
“Where in the World Can Curiosity Take You?”
Arthur H. Hughes
B.A., History ('61)
3:00 p.m., Colonial Room, City Union
Arthur H. HughesHistory ('61)
Arthur H. Hughes retired from the Foreign Service in 1997 after serving at senior levels in the Department of State and Department of Defense. He subsequently was appointed Director General of the Multinational Force and Observers by Egypt and Israel in August 1998, serving as head of this peacekeeping operation until July, 2004. Since then he has been a Scholar at the Middle East Institute, member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, board member of the Foundation for Middle East Peace and also of the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, and Senior Advisor to the Jerusalem Old City Initiative.
Hughes’ most senior positions in government service were United States Ambassador to Yemen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near East and South Asia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv.
Hughes also held the positions of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Israel, The Netherlands and Denmark, Director of the Department of State Secretariat Staff, and Officer-in-Charge of Spanish Affairs. He also served as Department of State Representative to the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, and overseas in Germany at Bonn and Frankfurt, and in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Prior to the Foreign Service, Hughes served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in Germany and is a graduate of the Infantry and Intelligence Schools. He is a 1961 graduate of the University of Nebraska, was a graduate assistant in the Department of History and completed all coursework for a master’s degree prior to entering the Foreign Service.
Among Hughes’ awards are a Presidential Distinguished Service Award, Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, State Department Career Achievement Award, United States Information Agency Director’s Award for Superior Achievement and a University of Nebraska Alumni Achievement Award. He has also been a University of Nebraska Alumni Association “Master.”
Hughes is passionate about politics still and assists locally disseminate information about what is going on in Washington D.C. and supports Peter Maslowski Fund as well as his family’s named fund the Arthur and Patricia Hughes Fund for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.
Ambassador Hughes is married to Patricia McOstrich Hughes. They have two children and three grandchildren.
Robert D. RogersInternational Studies, Latin American Studies ('71)
Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017
“Life Isn't Linear”
3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Bailey Library
Retiring after eight years as Director, Master of Science in Marketing Research Program at University of Texas at Arlington in 2017 and teaching at a university level for 40 years, Bob is in search of the next challenge. He is learning how to play the acoustical guitar. He can’t sing but does play the jukebox and is familiar with an iPod classic. His music collection includes the top 100 songs from each year 1945 to 2014.
Bob’s work experience blends educational and professional experiences. The public sector experience demonstrates increasing success at the University of Nebraska, the University of Georgia, the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at Arlington; also includes volunteer work with United Way of central New Mexico. Professional experiences include Intel Corporation, Market Metrics – Southwest and the Marketing and Management Group, LLC; he also served on the Board of Directors of EASi, Inc.
Bob has a very eclectic educational background with an undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies (University of Nebraska, 1971), an MA (University of Nebraska, 1973) and a PhD in Business Administration (University of Nebraska, 1977).
Equally eclectic is his social and cultural background. The family moved to Panama in 1947 and never looked back. Bob has three brothers, one born in Panama and two born in Honduras. The family also spent time in Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic with brief stays in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. It’s hard to live in another country and not speak the language! Bob is a veteran of the U. S. involvement in Vietnam, serving there in 1967 and 1968.