Early in Fairleigh Dickinson’s history, founder Peter Sammartino built a close relationship with the United Nations, regularly bringing ambassadors to campus to lecture and to teach. President J. Michael Adams renewed this partnership and helped establish the U.N. Pathways Lecture Series in 2002. Since then, FDU has welcomed more than 70 seated ambassadors to campus. The University also runs a videoconference series broadcast from U.N. headquarters to FDU and other universities. (U.N. events can be viewed online at the University’s Global Issues Gateway site, www.gig.org.)

Fairleigh Dickinson was one of the first universities in the country to earn accreditation as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) associated with the U.N. Department of Public Information (DPI). This designation provides faculty and staff special access to the United Nations. FDU students have served internships with the United Nations and participated in briefings and conferences including the annual NGO/DPI conference at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.

The University has also introduced an NGO Pathways program to create learning opportunities for students within the international nongovernmental sector. In addition, student clubs have formed at both the Metropolitan Campus and the College at Florham to support activities relating to the United Nations.

In 2009, Fairleigh Dickinson was approved for special consultative status as a nongovernmental organization with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). FDU is the first comprehensive university in the world to earn this rank. New opportunities for students include access to internships with ECOSOC agencies and participation in global conferences, while faculty and staff may be designated to serve as consultants or participants in ECOSOC forums and committees.

In September 2008, the University awarded an honorary degree to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Click here to view Ban Ki-moon’s address to the FDU community. Previously, the University had presented honorary degrees to 12 other U.N. officials, including the first U.N. secretary-general, Trygve Lie.

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JoAnne Murphy: Creating Pathways

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