The diplomacy skills Mel Sembler honed as a Northwestern senior class president have taken him far — across the ocean to Italy, in fact.
A 1952 Communication graduate, Sembler returned to campus Wednesday as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy and spoke to a packed McCormick-Tribune Forum about his experiences at NU, as well as his thoughts on current U.S. foreign relations.
Sembler, 72, said Italy has stood by the United States during the war on terrorism.
“In times of crisis, you find out who your true friends are,” Sembler said, referring to the Sept. 11 attacks. “The Italian government backed up their words with actions. Anybody who knows Italy — anybody who knows Italians — will not be surprised that we are in this shoulder-to-shoulder.”
But Sembler also spoke fondly of his connection to NU during the speech. He was introduced by University President Henry Bienen, who called Sembler a personal friend and praised his accomplishments. Sembler also recalled his favorite NU memory — meeting his wife Betty, Weinberg ’53, by The Rock.
“I have many good reasons in my life to feel fortunate, but I feel especially fortunate to be a graduate of Northwestern University,” he said.
Sembler opened his speech by singing a few bars from a 1951 Waa-Mu show.
“Once a Waa-Mu ham, always a Waa-Mu ham,” said Sembler, who participated in Waa-Mu three times while at NU.
He also remembered the sign his wife carried for his senior class presidency campaign. The slogan was “Be wise, Semblerize.”
The speech became more serious as Sembler began discussing his work. An active member of the Republican National Committee, a former Australian ambassador and a close friend of the Bush family, he was nominated to the ambassadorship by President Bush in 2001.
In Italy, Sembler said the safety of American citizens is his top priority. Sembler said he expects Italy to back U.S. interests and called called the country a close, strong and dependable ally.
“Saddam Hussein will be disarmed — that I am sure of,” he said.
He also described Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as becoming a strong force in Europe. Sembler said he has advised Berlusconi that he has the ability to change Europe for the next 100 years.
Danilo Giuliani, a visiting McCormick graduate student from Italy, disagreed with some of Sembler’s comments. Not all Italians think their country should partner with the United States, he said.
“A lot of the young people don’t think the war against Iraq is a good thing,” Giuliani said. “They don’t like the way Americans are going about it. … It’s a problem of misunderstanding: They think we can wait more on rules and decisions before attacking Iraq.”
The ambassador gave advice after his speech to the small number of students in the audience interested in diplomatic careers. Despite feeling that diplomats are constant targets for terrorism, Sembler suggested that students pursue the field.
Evan Fieldman, a Weinberg junior who recently returned from four months in Italy, was affected by Sembler’s speech.
“He made me want to be a diplomat,” Fieldman said.
