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U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIAN FEDERATION
TO BE IUB COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- James F. Collins, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation and Indiana University alumnus, will be the speaker at IU Bloomington's commencement on May 8.
Collins (M.A. 1964), an alumnus of IUB's Russian and East European Institute and Department of History, took the oath of office as ambassador on Sept. 2, 1997, following his nomination by President Clinton and confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
A career diplomat with extensive experience in Russian affairs, Collins was returning to Moscow for the fourth time following an assignment in Washington as senior coordinator and then ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States.
Collins had twice before served at the American embassy in Moscow: from 1990 to 1993 as deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires, and from 1973 to 1975 as second secretary. Academic study and research brought Collins to Moscow for the first time from 1965 to 1966 as an exchange fellow at the History Faculty of Moscow University.
In addition to his diplomatic postings in Moscow, he has held several management positions in the Department of State in Washington and has served on the staff of the National Security Council.
Collins received the Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service in January 1993, the Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award in October 1993, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in December 1995. He is also the recipient of several meritorious and superior honor awards from the Department of State.
Jerry Tardy, executive director of the IU Alumni Association and chair of the university commencement committee, said this year's graduation ceremony will be in Memorial Stadium and will begin at 10 a.m.
(DeAnna Hines, 812-855-0850, djhines@indiana.edu)