Minot State, MACIV to host Tom Rathburn

Minot State, MACIV to host Tom Rathburn

The Minot Area Council for International Visitors (MACIV), headquartered at Minot State University, will host Tom Rathburn for various events Oct. 9-11.

Rathburn is the Branch Chief for Community Relations, Office of International Visitors, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department. He will be in Minot to learn about Minot area resources and how MACIV functions as an all-volunteer CBM (Community-Based Member) in the Global Ties U.S. Network working with the International Visitor Leadership Program.

“The Minot Area Council for International Visitors (MACIV) is excited to host Tom Rathburn,” said Joseph Jastrzembski, Minot State professor of history. “Mr. Rathburn will be meeting with MACIV, as well as mayor Shawn Sipma and city manager Tom Barry, to discuss Minot area resources relevant to State Department public diplomacy efforts through the International Visitor Leadership Program. Public or citizen diplomacy is based on the idea that Americans can help further U. S. foreign policy goals ‘one handshake at a time.’”

As a part of his tour, Rathburn is scheduled for a variety of events on Oct. 10. He will begin with a meeting with Sipma and Barry at the Minot City Hall at 9 a.m., followed by a tour of the Scandinavian Heritage Park. Rathburn will also spend time at Minot State, giving a guest lecture to students in POLS 220: International Politics class and a lunch with MSU’s Social Science Division students, discussing careers in the U.S. State Department.

After a tour of the city of Minot and its flood control efforts, Rathburn will meet with MACIV members at Minot State in Old Main at 4 p.m. He will finish his day with an informal meet and great at the Blue Rider at 5 p.m.

Since 1992, the MACIV has welcomed visitors from all over the world who are interested in many aspects of rural life. Comprised of members from Minot State and the wider Minot community, MACIV has received extensive accolades from visitors for its hospitality, generosity, and efficiency. The MACIV is made up of members with a broad range of local, state, national, and international experience in the professional world, government, education, and the arts.