Foreign Services Institute
Seal of the U.S. Department of State
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | March 13, 1947 |
| Headquarters |
National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. Coordinates: 38°52′04″N 77°06′08″W / 38.8677°N 77.1023°W |
| Employees | 1,332 (As of December 2012) |
| Annual budget | $115 million (FY 2012) |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent department | U.S. Department of State |
| Website | state |
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreign affairs interests overseas and in Washington. FSI provides more than 800 courses—including over 70 foreign languages—to more than 170,000 enrollees a year from the Department of State and more than 50 other government agencies and the military service branches. FSI is based at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.
The Institute's programs include training for the development of United States Foreign Service and Civil Service professionals, and for Foreign Service Nationals who work at U.S. posts around the world. Ranging in length from one day to two years, courses are designed to promote successful performance in each professional assignment, to ease the adjustment to other countries and cultures, and to enhance the leadership and management capabilities of the U.S. foreign affairs community. Other courses and services help family members prepare for the demands of a mobile lifestyle and living abroad, and provide employees and their families with important information about such critical and timely topics as emergency preparedness and cyber-security awareness, among others.
According to the Foreign Service Institute’s website, the Foreign Service Institute is the U.S. government’s “premier foreign affairs training provider...dedicated to ensuring the career-long learning opportunities required for success in today’s global arena. FSI promotes substantive, regional, and linguistic expertise, leadership finesse, personal resilience and innovative problem-solving. FSI serves the U.S. Department of State and the entire U.S. government foreign affairs community as a strategic enabler of diplomatic excellence.”
The Director of the Foreign Service Institute is equivalent in rank to an Assistant Secretary of State, and is appointed by the Secretary of State. Nancy McEldowney currently serves as the Director of the Foreign Service Institute and the National Foreign Affairs Training Center. In this capacity, she is the Chief Learning Officer responsible for professional training for the U.S. Department of State and federal foreign affairs agencies.
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