State Department Spends Big Money to Diversify Ranks

WASHINGTON — In an attempt to diversify its ranks, the State Department offers promising young minorities and women three years of taxpayer-financed college education in return for a 4 1/2-year commitment to the Foreign Service.

Since its inception in 1991, 38 people have become Foreign Service Fellows. Twenty-three are women, 15 are men, 18 are blacks, 10 are Hispanic Americans and nine are Asian Americans. One is a white woman.

The cost: $100,000 per candidate.

Tony Quainton, the Foreign Service director general, said he was pleased with the program, especially the caliber of people it has attracted.

All have thrived in the internships the State Department has set up for them, he said.

“They are remarkable students,” he said. “They come from a tremendous variety of backgrounds.”

But one retired black diplomat, Terence Todman, says the program is too small to make a difference. “It’s nothing to stand up and cheer about,” Todman says. “In terms of meeting the need, it really is minimal.”

Some white male diplomats believe the cash-strapped agency--its budget is down 50% from a decade ago--could spend the money better elsewhere.

For a time, the State Department considered allowing fellows to skip the written examination required of Foreign Service entrants. But last summer, Quainton ruled that the normal entry requirements will be enforced.

He was influenced in large measure by a 1995 Supreme Court decision that struck a blow at some government programs designed to achieve greater diversity by excluding certain groups. In the case of the fellows program, white males have been fenced out.

Officials are now wondering whether the entire fellows program can stand up to legal challenge because of its restrictive nature. Financial pressures could also doom the program.