Oklahoma State University senior attends student congress
Friday, August 29, 2008
OSU senior Jered Davidson
The purpose of the Henry Clay 2008 Student Congress was to help educate a new generation in the skills and processes of statesmanship, and to expose a top college junior from every state to a curriculum in diplomacy, dialogue, listening skills, negotiation and mediation.
“The gathering of minds from all 50 states and the District of Columbia offers a very unique perspective to learn and share with future leaders who are interested in public service and diplomacy,” Davidson said. “With topics ranging from humanitarian crisis to conflict resolution, we were constantly engaged in debate and lectures on the most important topics facing our globalized world.”
Davidson, an agricultural economics major with a minor in political science, has been actively involved in politics and public issues from a young age, including work on topics such as natural resource conservation and rural development.
He was nominated to represent Oklahoma at the week-long, master’s-level college course in statesmanship on the recommendation of Bob Graalman, OSU director of Scholar Development.
“Jered’s been a very impressive leader on and off campus for a long time, and this program was perfectly suited to his talents and ambitions,” said Graalman. “Being named a 2008 Truman finalist and receiving this award in the same year is an indication of the type of success he will experience in his life.”
“Resolving Conflict in the Contemporary World” took place July 19-26 on the University of Kentucky campus.
The five-day curriculum included the history and context of Henry Clay, his world and his approaches and contributions to statesmanship, and students were exposed to top speakers from around the world on conflict resolution, decision making in a shared power world and national and international relations. Participants also spent an evening at Clay’s Ashland estate.
Davidson said the congress reinforced that everyone is a player in our globalized world.
“Each one of us has an impact on those around us and it is our generation’s greatest challenge to effectively collaborate and resolve the conflicts facing us,” he said. “With knowledge we can become competent, capable and contributing individuals in society.”
Davidson, a graduate of Fort Cobb-Broxton School, is the son of Kendra Walsh of Fort Cobb and Jerry Davidson of Norman. Following his graduation from OSU, he plans to attend law school at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., and also earn a master’s degree in economics.