Ambassador John K. Menzies (born 1948) is dean of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations

John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations

The John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations , or simply the Whitehead School, is a post-secondary, degree-granting institution concentrating on international affairs within Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey...

 at Seton Hall University

Seton Hall University

Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...

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Prior to appointment at the Whitehead School, Menzies served as the 16th president of Graceland University

Graceland University

Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...

 in Lamoni, Iowa

Lamoni, Iowa

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 818 households, and 428 families residing in the city. The population density was 761.1 people per square mile . There were 904 housing units at an average density of 281.5 per square mile...

, from September 2002 to August 2006. He resigned on August 5, 2006 in order to return to work in international relations

International relations

International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...

. Menzies was instrumental in attracting more than 300 international students to Graceland University, many from the Balkan states. In January 2006, Menzies traveled to Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 to consult on final independence talks taking place in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

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Prior to joining Graceland University as President, he was Chief of Mission at the U.S. Office in Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 and served as the United States Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina from January 7 through December 15, 1996.

Menzies served in U.S. Foreign Service posts in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, East Germany, and Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

. He was assigned to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, and to the office of the Coordinator for the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) program in Washington.

From 1997 to 1999, Ambassador Menzies was a Jennings Randolph

Jennings Randolph

Jennings Randolph was an American politician from West Virginia. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was the last surviving member of the United States Congress to have served during the first 100 days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.-Early life and career:Randolph was born in...

 Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace

United States Institute of Peace

The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...

 as leader of the Balkan working group.

Honors include the Department of State Superior Honor Award, an American Bar Association

American Bar Association

The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...

 Award for dedication and service toward advancing the rule of law, several honorary degrees, and the Bulgarian Order of the Madarsky Konnik. He also received the Community of Christ

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...

 International Human Rights Award for the year 2000.

Menzies' previously served as assistant to the dean of the graduate division at the University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...

. While assigned in Sofia

Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

 in 1991, he also founded the American University in Bulgaria

American University in Bulgaria

American University in Bulgaria is a private, selective, residential liberal arts university located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Courses are taught in English by high-quality faculty coming from four continents, experienced in teaching in a multicultural, learner-centered environment...

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The ambassador attended Graceland University before earning his B.A. and M.A. at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He subsequently received a Ph.D. in German from the University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

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Ambassador Menzies is divorced with three daughters, Lauren, Alexandra, and Morgan.