As the executive director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, Dixie Anderson meets many current and former presidents, ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, and more, but the highlight of her 18-year career with the organization was being able to meet Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu when he visited Grand Rapids 10 years ago.
“It was such an honor,” she says. “He radiates peace and energy.”
Continually hosting impressive speakers such as this, the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan is a non-partisan, non-advocacy, nonprofit educational organization that currently has 50 member companies and more than 1,200 members. They are one of more than 100 Councils nationwide that focus on sharing information and creating dialogue surrounding U.S. foreign policy issues.
The local Council began in 1949 when two men, Edgar Orr and Douglas Hillman, thought West Michigan was becoming too isolationist. The original volunteers and meeting attendees were an elite group of people but now, decades later, the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan has expanded their reach to a broad and diverse group of people, from students to retirees and everyone in between.
Best known for its sponsorship of the award-winning Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion Series that began in the 1960s, the Council brings in think tank members, top policy makers, foreign diplomats, analysts from the CIA and the FBI, and more to speak every February and March. Around 250 people attend each of these events.
Each year, the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) in New York City selects eight prominent foreign policy issues. Member organizations get the chance to vote on a range of topics and after the eight issues are finalized, the individual Councils choose speakers who can best share relevant insights.
Anderson gets suggestions from other Councils, but after doing this for 18 years, she says she has "quite a rolodex of speakers."
The Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion Series is held every Monday evening at 6:00 p.m in February and March at the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College. New this year, an additional session has been added on Tuesday mornings featuring the four March speakers. This one-hour series starts at 11:00 a.m. at the Gillette Auditorium in the Fifth Third Bank Building downtown and is geared more toward business people.
The events are open to everyone. Council members and some students pay $10 and non-members pay $15 per event.
Students attending participating colleges and universities get in free as many offer credit through their political science or international departments. Currently, there are approximately 250 students involved and the Council provides a textbook for them to use, as well as posting the discussions on YouTube the next day.
One Discussion Series speaker that Anderson is particularly excited about is Reza Marashi of the National Iranian American Council. Marashi is only 31, yet Anderson says he has a "sophisticated and nuanced view on the Iranian and U.S. relationship." He visited last fall and "blew everyone away" and now he's one of the first speakers they've had visit twice in the same year. He will be speaking March 4 and 5.
The World Affairs Council wants to promote critical thinking and discussion on foreign policy. Anderson says people often question why they are bringing in certain people, but if she hears from both the left and the right, she knows she's doing her job well.
When they brought former President George W. Bush here, Anderson received a lot of flack but says, "We accomplished our goal because everyone was talking about the Iraq war."
The Council hosts 30-40 events per year altogether, including webcasts and teleconferences. Each fall, they hold an anniversary dinner with a distinguished keynote speaker, and in May, they host a WorldQuest™ international trivia contest.
A complete schedule of events can be found online and soon, a new website will be launched. If foreign policy issues interest you, here are some ways to get involved:
- Watch this
short video to find out more about the organization and see some of the former speakers.
Source: Dixie Anderson, Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor
Photo: Myanmar River Taxi Rower, copyright and photo credit to Jerry Redfern.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.