Orangeburg, SC… Claflin University was given rave reviews by dignitaries from the Near East and North Africa who, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of State, visited the campus Thursday, November 30. In response to their visit the university’s president was told, “You formed important friendships in the Arab world for Claflin and our country,” and that the delegation was very impressed with the university.

The dignitaries, senior educators from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and the West Bank, are members of the International Leadership Visitor Program, a U.S State Department initiative, which brings current and potential leaders in government, politics, the media and education to the United States to meet with their professional counterparts.

The senior educators, who wanted to know the university’s philosophy for encouraging ethics, tolerance and citizenship in a multicultural society, met with Claflin’s President, Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, who spoke about Claflin’s legacy of social justice and the strategies he uses to instill social responsibility in each student. Through a State Department translator, Dr. Tisdale told them, “Claflin students are expected to be leaders and are encouraged to excel not only academically but also through memberships in clubs that contribute to the larger community.”

The delegation had a lively open conversation with Claflin student leaders, whom they described as “an impressive group, bright capable and smart” who “spoke with dignity and pride.” Again through translators, they were told by students what it means to be a leader on campus, the role of extracurricular activities in developing leadership and social responsibility.

Senior educators in regions of the world with a predominant Muslim population and where youth comprise the majority of the people are developing new approaches to deal with social issues in the community. This tour was designed to advance an understanding of how civic education is taught in the United States.

The delegations visited the lab of Dr. Omar Bagasra; the Director of Claflin’s University’s Biotechnology Center and met with a team of international researchers. They were also given a brief history and tour of the campus and exclaimed over the architecture of the buildings and beauty of the landscape.

State Department officials accompany the delegation said they chose Claflin University after hearing so much about the school’s reputation for excellence. U.S. News and World Report magazine recently named Claflin as an “outstanding institution in higher education.”

More than 200 current and former heads of state, 1,500 cabinet-level ministers and many other distinguished world leaders have participated in the International Leadership Visitor Program. Currently 33 Heads of Government and Chiefs of State are alumni, including the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Afghanistan’s leader, Hamid Karzai.