The U.S. Ambassadors Tour is an annual event designed to build a cultural and commercial bridge between the United States and Southeast Asia. This Wednesday, the gap between eastern and western nations will be lessened even further as the tour arrives at the University of Houston.

Five U.S. ambassadors of member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet with UH deans to discuss such topics as student exchange programs and post-9/11 student immigration issues.

“Many Southeast Asian countries used to send graduate and doctoral students to the U.S. Now, these students are having difficulty getting visas,” said Susannah Wong, director of external affairs for the Asia Society Texas Center. “The ambassadors would like to hear different universities’ perspectives on this subject.”

Wong, a UH alumna and a former staff member, said the ambassadors’ visit is significant because of the university’s growing international student population.

“The university has several exchange programs with many countries,” she said. “I feel very strongly that UH can play an important role on this tour and in this discussion with the ambassadors.”

Ambassadors participating in this year’s tour are Skip Boyce, Indonesia; Darryl Johnson, Thailand; Douglas Hartwick, Laos; Raymond Burghardt, Vietnam; and Frank Lavin, Singapore.

Each year, between three and five U.S. cities are chosen for the tour. This will be the second time the tour has visited Houston in its 11-year history. Besides Houston, it will make stops in Atlanta, Ga., Louisville, Ky., and Washington D.C.

According to Chris Feddersen, director of Philippine Affairs and manager of the Food & Agriculture Working Group, the tour also helps open doors of commerce between U.S. companies and businesses in Southeast Asia. By allowing U.S. business owners to meet with ambassadors, the tour often provides a clear introduction to Southeast Asian markets.

“It creates worthwhile conversation,” he said. “Oftentimes, companies may not know what markets to pursue. This allows them to learn about the political and economic environments, so they get a holistic view about investing or trading in Southeast Asia.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu