Whitman and Foreign Service Alumnus, Ryan Crocker, has promised to make his upcoming Commencement speech brief to ensure that the awaiting graduates won’t fall asleep under the rays of the hot Walla Walla sun.

Crocker, a ’71 graduate of Whitman and recently retired Ambassador to Iraq, visited his alma mater on April 28 to prepare for graduation. He promised to bestow upon the graduates his wisdom from a 38-year career in the Foreign Service alongside words of guidance.  

But aside from its brevity, Crocker was unwilling to divulge any teasers regarding his upcoming address, entitled “Lessons from a Long War.”   His polite evasion stemmed from indecision about what he will discuss during graduation.

 “There will be some spontaneity to it,” he said.

Though Crocker was purposefully vague, he did give an overview of “Lessons from a Long War.”  

“I’ll reflect on both the long, literal war and also the war in another sense, just the whole process of living a life,” said Crocker.

Crocker’s post-graduate life certainly blossomed.   Shortly after graduating from Whitman in 1971, Crocker took the Foreign Service Exam and passed.   Crocker devoted his 38-year career throughout the Middle East, serving as the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and Pakistan, before serving what he calls his “most difficult post” in Iraq.  

Crocker committed himself to the Middle East and even spent weeks with the Bedouin, herding sheep and becoming more proficient in Arabic, a notoriously difficult language to learn.

This estimable service made Crocker a prime choice for this year’s Commencement address.

“Ryan Crocker is one of the most experienced, talented and respected US Ambassadors,” said Jed Schwendiman, Assistant to the President.   “He was given one of the most challenging jobs imaginable and handled his work admirably.”

While to many, Crocker’s upcoming address is an honor for Whitman, the Ambassador attributes much of his success to his alma mater.

Crocker claims that, especially now, liberal arts education properly equips students for diplomatic work. The emphasis on global studies and study abroad programs solidifies and makes foreign relations a reality for many students.

“And more broadly, you’re here to think,” said Crocker.   “To think in a disciplined and yet creative fashion.”

Crocker especially praises the education he received in English Literature here at Whitman.   He found that his background as an English major was a “huge asset” for his post-Whitman life.   For Crocker, the ability to analyze and dissect imaginative literature is an important intellectual and sensory device for understanding the surrounding world.

“It’s a tremendous mental discipline,” said Crocker.  

He went on to explain that remarkable battles are more easily overcome when someone possesses the abilities to understand, investigate and interpret creative literature than someone who doesn’t. He cites its abilities of mental expansion, abstract thinking beyond the purely intellectual.  

“You learn not only to think, but to feel.   And that is a very undervalued part of knowledge,” said Crocker.   “How you sense something, as well as how you intellectualize it.”  

More specifically, Crocker claimed that an awareness of a people’s imaginative literature is crucial tool for insight into that culture.  

“It’s a valid a tool for understanding foreign culture as any other discipline and perhaps more so,” said Crocker.

Crocker’s commitment to the Middle East and the depth of his understanding of the area has led him to be considered one of the most respected and honored American Ambassadors.

In January 2009, President Bush awarded Crocker with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a president can bestow upon a civilian.   Crocker was the first member of the Foreign Service to receive the award.   The medal was presented by President Bush at the State Department where he touted the “sacrifices and accomplishments of the State Department as a whole.”  

For Crocker, this recognition of the Foreign Service was one of the most gratifying aspects of receiving the award.

“It was a huge honor, well beyond my own merits,” said Crocker.

For students who desire to follow in Crocker’s footsteps and join the Foreign Service, Crocker insists that a Whitman education properly equips students for diplomatic work.   The current emphasis on global studies and studying abroad, solidifies and makes foreign relations a reality for liberal arts students.

“You’re here to think,” said Crocker.   “To think in a disciplined and yet creative fashion.”