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President Biden appoints Dr. Mendis to US National Security Education Board
President Joe Biden has appointed Dr. Patrick Mendis—a Sri Lanka-born American diplomat—as an advisor to the prestigious U.S. National Security Education Board (NSEB), according to a press release by the White House.
The 14-member National Security Education Board consists of eight Cabinet secretaries including defence, education, energy, homeland security, state, and the director of National Intelligence as well as six distinguished American citizens of global prominence. The Board is chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Defence.
Dr. Patrick Mendis, a Harvard and Minnesota educated former military professor at NATO and the Indo-Pacific Command, is currently a distinguished visiting professor of transatlantic relations at the University of Warsaw and the inaugural Taiwan chair and distinguished visiting professor of international relations at the Jagiellonian University—famously known as the university of the Pope John Paul II and Nicolaus Copernicus—in Krakow, Poland. Prior to this, he served as a Taiwan fellow of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a distinguished visiting professor of global affairs at the National Chengchi University in Taipei and a distinguished visiting professor of Sino-American relations at the Yenching Academy of Peking University in China.
The presidential appointment of Dr. Mendis is a great honour not only for the renowned international relations scholar and the former U.S. diplomat in the Clinton, Bush, Obama administrations, but also for the United States, Poland, and Taiwan in their critical engagement in world affairs and global security.
Supporting her former constituent while teaching at the University of Minnesota, Rep. Betty McCollum, the top Democrat in the House Appropriations Defence Subcommittee in U.S. Congress wrote to the White House that “Patrick’s vast experience at a senior level in US government service and academia” is an asset to the Biden-Harris administration.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also endorsed his candidacy to the Biden White House, writing that “Dr. Mendis is a respected leader and award-winning public servant, teacher, and diplomat.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen described his friend and former professor of the University of Maryland: “Patrick has contributed years of dedicated service to our country and has been recognized for his academic achievement, outstanding government career, and important philanthropic work.”
His former colleague and friend in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff during the Reagan administration, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, characterized Dr. Patrick Mendis as a “highly respected foreign policy scholar, an award-winning public servant, and American diplomat.”
Recommending him to the White House, Sen. Tim Kaine wrote that the former distinguished senior fellow and affiliate professor at George Mason University in Virginia “has all the attributes and skills needed to thrive in these national security and foreign affairs positions. He consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic, leadership, and personal integrity.”
Having these recommendations by congressional leaders and two former Deputy Secretaries of State – Amb. Brian Atwood and Amb. Thomas Nides – the White House concluded that Dr. Patrick Mendis, a former commissioner to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO at the State Department, has “many talents and experience,” which “will be of great service to the Board, and by extension, the American people.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
