International Relations MA Launch Gala Celebrations

10/02/2010

On February 3, Richmond was delighted to celebrate the official launch gala for the new Masters Degree program in International Relations at the Royal Gardens Hotel in Kensington. With over 100 guests, most drawn from the diplomatic community in London, the evening proved to be a great success. Ambassadors mingled with members of the faculty during a night of celebration and conversation...

The gala celebrations mark a significant point in the development of the Masters Degree program. The reception that the program received by members of the diplomatic corps was particularly pleasing, with many embassies eager to become involved with Richmond as an institution and with the new MA in particular. A high point of the evening came with the anouncement of ten internship positions at the American embassy in London.

Members of London’s diplomatic corps were pleased to hear about the new program and its integrated Internship position, designed to ensure that our students graduate with both qualifications and experience and so improve their employment prospects.

Ambassadors and embassy officials were all delighted to join in celebrating Richmond’s new MA and pledged to work together to ensure the success of the program. We look forward to welcoming many of the dignitaries to the campus in the coming months.

In addition to hearing about the new program, the invited audience was addressed by a most distinguished guest, Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley. His talk, ‘International Relations among the debris,’ was a wide ranging tour de force that drew upon the general’s long and distinguished career in the British Army, during which time he served as the Commander of British forces in Iraq and as Deputy Commander of NATO ISAF in Afghanistan. Following his departure from the services in June 2009 he was named Director General and Master of the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London.

While enjoying an evening of champagne and canapés, the guests were addressed by the Director of the International Relations Postgraduate Program, Dr. James D. Boys, who took the opportunity to thank all concerned for their hard work in ensuring the success and viability of the program.

Speaking later, Dr. Boys observed, “A year ago this was an idea, today it is a reality. Many people have worked very hard to make that happen, including members of the faculty, admissions and the management team. Without everyone pulling together, we wouldn’t be here to celebrate the successful launch of Richmond’s latest program. The evening was a testament to them and their endeavours.”

The success of the evening bodes well for the program which will welcome its first intake in September 2010. Building upon the success of the undergraduate program the course will offer students an advanced grounding in International Relations theory as well as the opportunity to specialise in regional and thematic topics.

For more details on the program, please contact the Director at james.boys@richmond.ac.uk