Point Park Welcomes Former U.S. Ambassador/Alumnus and Award-Winning Middle East Travel Specialist to Campus Monday, November 18, 2019
“Point Park really prepares its students for such fulfilling careers. Practically all of my professors have worked in the industry for many years, and although they do push us a lot, I feel that I’m being given the information I need to show employers that I’m valuable to them."
Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, senior vice president of the Middle East Institute and Point Park alumnus Gerald Feierstein ‘73, and Islamic culture writer, blogger and award-winning travel specialist Carolyn McIntyre, recently gave engaging presentations at Point Park University on U.S. policy in the Middle East and Yemeni architecture, respectively.
The event was sponsored by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Point Park and led by chair Channa Newman, Ph.D., professor of French and cultural studies.
“Ambassador Feierstein and Carolyn McIntyre offered a thoughtful and informative presentation on the current crisis in Yemen and how the lack of humanitarian efforts and climate change are exacerbating the issues at hand," explained Claire Kreider, a senior political science major with minors in history and English from Waynesburg Central High School in Waynesburg, Pa.
"I left the presentation with a much clearer understanding of the United States’ role in the crisis (and the current international political arena) and how we, as citizens, can act in improving the situation," she added.
“The most compelling part of Carolyn McIntyre’s presentation was the passion she expressed for preserving the culture of the Yemeni people. A lot of the time during humanitarian crises, we forget that these people aren’t just losing their lives or their safety. They can lose their culture, their architecture and their way of life. Ambassador Feierstein’s presentation was a bit more clinical and fact based. It was so wonderful to see a graduate of Point Park become so successful,” said Morgan Biddle, a junior broadcast production and media management major, minoring in political science, from Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa.
Biddle added: “Point Park really prepares its students for such fulfilling careers. Practically all of my professors have worked in the industry for many years, and although they do push us a lot, I feel that I’m being given the information I need to show employers that I’m valuable to them. It’s great having speakers like Ambassador Feierstein on campus. We also had Mary Beth Tinker from the Tinker vs. Des Moines Supreme Court case on campus last year and I loved her presentation! There’s a lot of opportunities to attend great presentations because of our Downtown campus location.”
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