This Friday, July 18, PSU Alumnus Joseph LeBaron will be sworn in at the Simon Benson House patio at 4 p.m. as the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar.
Interim President, Michael F. Reardon, will deliver presiding remarks while Paul De Muniz (PSU class of ’72), Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office.
LeBaron received a Bachelor of Science degree from PSU in 1969 and completed his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. He began his diplomatic career in 1980 when he joined the U.S. Foreign Service. His began his career with assignments to the Near East as vice-consul at the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar.
Qatar is located in the Persian Gulf, extending from the east side of the Arabian Peninsula.
Qatar has the highest per capita income and the second largest amount of oil reserves in the world.
As U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, LeBaron will serve as the highest-ranking diplomatic representative sent by one national government to another.
LeBaron will be present at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Alumni Dinner on Saturday, July 19.
“The dinner will include a formal program of remarks by Ambassador LeBaron, GCC alumni, a short film and remarks about the history of the Middle East Studies program at Portland State,” said Patricia Squire, assistant vice president of the Alumni Association.