UMD News Releases

UMD Liberal Arts student, Conor Schultz, will travel to Vienna, Austria this summer as an embassy intern with the U.S. Mission in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He credits securing the position to Tom Hanson, UMD Diplomat in Residence, who visited his class in the fall. "I never would have found out about the U.S. Mission Internship. Tom gave me insights on how foreign policy works and it will be exciting to see them in action this summer."

Peter Tomczik, UMD student with a double major in International Studies and Economics, has been accepted for his internship at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. but he is waiting for his assignment. He attributes his interest with the Foreign Service career track to Tom Hanson. "When I heard Tom speak about all the different jobs that were available, something clicked. I knew this was what I wanted to do."

Hanson is serving his third semester as Diplomat in Residence with the Royal D. Alworth Institute for International Studies. Hanson provides guidance and advice to students interested in international affairs. His role includes giving one public lecture each semester and teaching students about the opportunities available for diplomatic careers, specifically in the Foreign Service and State Department field.

Students interested in joining the Foreign Service can choose among five career tracks: political, economic, consular, administrative, and public diplomacy. To enter any of these tracks, the student must take the Foreign Service examination, which consists of a written and oral portion. In addition, the State Department hires in a wide range of specialist positions in areas such as diplomatic security, in which recruitment is by direct-hire rather than by examination.

Additional Information about Tom Hanson

Currently, he serves as Program Secretary of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations and as a lecturer/consultant for the Great Decisions program at the Minnesota International Center.

Hanson is also a Board Member for the Oslo Center of Peace and Human Rights, which is based in Norway. He hopes to establish a center in Minneapolis.

Hanson graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Soon after, he became interested in joining the Foreign Services.

Hanson served as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State for nearly 25 years. His postings included East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and Georgia. He assisted in opening new embassies in Mongolia and Estonia.

Hanson has also worked on the Foreign Relations Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Most recently, he was Director for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington, D.C.