On Tuesday, February 16 the Office of the Provost and the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence hosted the second installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured Reuben E. Brigety II, the 17th vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South and former U.S. ambassador to the African Union.
The event, titled “Overcoming American Tribalism: Healing America through Common Purpose,” featured a robust conversation on how universities, society, and private citizens can better lead during these fractured times and develop a stronger sense of constructive civic habits.
This session was moderated by Provost and Executive Vice President Ben Vinson III and the Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law Jonathan H. Adler. This event was sponsored by Cuyahoga County Public Library.
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About Reuben E. Brigety II
Before becoming vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South, Brigety served as dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. Prior to becoming dean in 2015, Brigety served as U.S. ambassador to the African Union for two years. In that role, he managed the strategic partnership between the United States and the African Union with an emphasis on democracy and governance, economic growth, and development. He also served as the permanent representative of the United States to the UN Economic Commission for Africa; and, earlier, as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of African Affairs, with responsibility for Southern African and regional security affairs.
Prior to his work in the policy arena, Brigety was an assistant professor of government and politics at George Mason University and before that taught international relations at the School of International Service at American University. Before entering academia, he conducted research missions in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brigety is a 1995 distinguished midshipman graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Cambridge.