Steve Browning says he has one of the most satisfying jobs in the world.

Since joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1981, Browning, who is serving a one-year post at UC Davis, has worked as a diplomat in several nations in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Browning was in Tanzania during the 1990s when the government, with assistance by the United States, switched from a one-party to a two-party government and changed from a socialist to a market economy.

"We helped them re-engineer their whole society," he said. "It was very rewarding to me."

Browning also managed U.S. consulate operations in Alexandria, Egypt shortly after the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship with Americans aboard.

And the diplomat, a management and personnel specialist, has soothed ethnic and religious conflicts between native Sri Lankan employees at the embassy there, and helped finalize American adoptions of children in the Dominican Republic.

The next generation of diplomats

During the past few years he has been stepping back from the fray to recruit others to the call of foreign service. After spending a couple of years at the University of Southern California, this year Browning is a diplomat-in-residence at UC Davis, charged with mentoring students at the campus and throughout northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

His term at UC Davis has been a little slower paced than most of its state department postings, Browning says, but it also serves an important purpose for the state department.

Under Secretary of State Colin Powell, the department plans to double its annual recruitment of new foreign service officers over the next three years. In recent years the state department has accepted about 250 applicants. Now, it would like to see about 500 officers, especially women and minorities, enter the service each year.

"Our goal is to have a diplomatic corps that reflects who we are as a nation," Browning said.

To accomplish that task Browning, one of 14 diplomats residing at American universities, meets and e-mails with students about his experiences and their interests.

"They want to talk to someone who has ‘been there, done that,’" Browning said.

He answers their questions about such issues as politics, safety and family life abroad, said Browning, who is married with two grown children. The career can be difficult on families, but his wife, a teacher, and children thrived, he said.

Planning guest lectures on campus

Browning has spoken at seminars on international education and plans to guest lecture in UC Davis classes during the winter and spring quarters.

"I love it here," he said. "It’s a great place. Universities have personalities. I really enjoyed USC, but Davis is different.

"The students are more earnest. It seems more fundamental and straight-forward than L.A.," Browning continued. "There is a deep sense of public service at this campus."

Along with talking with students, Browning is also available for staff and faculty members interested in joining the state department. The average age of a new foreign service officer is 30, Browning said. And the state department’s mandatory retirement age is 65.

When he speaks to prospective applicants Browning emphasizes the need for officers with a broad-based education. He has degrees in theology and education and was a teacher before entering the service.

Increasingly, the state department is looking for students with a science background to aid in projects such as food security or environmental restoration. But applicants also need to be culturally literate, Browning said, pointing to a sample question on the rigorous foreign service exam. The multiple-choice questions ask which of several cartoons listed deals with workplace humor. Answer: Dilbert.

A rise in foreign studies interest

Browning is the second diplomat in residence to serve at UC Davis. During the mid-1990s, Genta Hawkins Holmes worked in the post before heading to Australia to serve as ambassador under President Bill Clinton.

An on-campus diplomatic presence can be quite influential on students interested in careers abroad, said Marcie Kirk Holland, coordinator of the Internship and Career center.

During Hawkins Holmes’ tenure on campus more students applied for internships and career posts with the state department, she said. So far this year more students are stopping by the ICC to pick up foreign service applications and testing forms.

"Having Steve Browning around and hearing his story and learning that real, genuine people are ambassadors makes a difference," Kirk Holland said.

Also because of Browning’s connection, UC Davis has been selected as the West Coast pilot campus for a state department videoconferencing project, she said. During Margaret Swain’s "Gender and Globaliza-tion" class in the spring, students will be able to discuss African politics with experts at the state department through a real-time video link.

Next year the diplomat-in-residence post will rotate to another Northern California school, UC Berkeley. But Browning won’t be traveling there. He’s got itchy feet once again.

After several years of recruiting the future of the foreign service, Browning, 53, will be headed abroad for another tour.

"I get chill bumps," he said, anticipating his next challenge, probably in Africa. "It’s a neat feeling. I still get it after 22 years."

For more information about the U.S. Foreign Service, Browning can be reached at (530) 754-9803 or at sabrowning@ucdavis.edu.