Greetings from AFSA President John Naland. Here is what we are working on at AFSA headquarters. As always, I welcome your comments or suggestions at naland@afsa.org. Happy Thanksgiving!

OVERSEAS PAY DISPARITY

2. AFSA continues to push hard for pay modernization. Since my October 25 update message, we had a very productive meeting with our leading advocate, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ). Rep. Smith agreed to reach out key colleagues to urge movement on the required enabling legislation. We also appreciate the bi-partisan group of Members of Congress who have engaged on this issue and are open to finding a solution to the problem.

3. That said, as 2007 winds down, we see little hope for passage this year. AFSA is keenly aware that this means that yet another year will have gone by without resolution of the overseas pay disparity. Nevertheless, AFSA remains determined to keep momentum moving forward in the New Year towards a bi-partisan legislative solution. By then, the 2008 federal pay adjustment will have pushed the penalty for overseas service from 18.59 percent to nearly 20 percent. Hopefully, nearing that benchmark will draw more attention to this unjust situation.

4. AFSA continues to hope that senior State Department managers will weigh in early and consistently with key lawmakers to advance pay modernization. I made that request to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at our July 26 meeting and to Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte in my October 2 letter. Now that the Foreign Service has met the top goal of senior State Department managers by “stepping up to the plate” again to staff Iraq, AFSA respectfully requests that senior State Department managers advance the top personnel goal of Foreign Service members by “stepping up to the plate” to push for pay modernization.

DIPLOMATIC READINESS

5. Reports continue to accumulate documenting the deficit between the State Department Foreign Service’s missions and the resources available to carry out those missions:

-- The June 2007 “Managing Secretary Rice’s State Department” report by the Foreign Affairs Council documented a 1,100 position deficit.
--> http://www.facouncil.org/reports.html

-- The October 2007 “Embassy of the Future” report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) found a 1,015 position shortfall in current needs plus an additional 1,079 position deficit in training and related needs.
--> http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/embassy_of_the_future.pdf

-- The November 2007 “Smart Power” report by CSIS cited a “more than 1000” position deficit to meet training and related needs.
--> http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/071106_csissmartpowerreport.pdf

6. AFSA continues to urge lawmakers to make at least an initial immediate down payment towards filling these staffing gaps, either in the still pending FY-08 budget or in the Iraq supplemental request. We also continue to urge the Administration to make the strongest possible push to obtain additional staffing resources for diplomacy.

DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS

7. In October, AFSA participated with Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) and other groups in an informal coalition to help advance Domestic Partner Benefits legislation. Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) are currently finalizing a draft bill to provide domestic partnership benefits to federal civilian employees and their same-sex partners on the same basis as spousal benefits. Twelve Senators have already committed to helping advance this potential legislation. GLIFAA and AFSA met with key staff from Senator Lieberman’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and advocated that any bill that is proposed on partnership benefits includes the Foreign Service. While passage in the near future is not certain, AFSA continues to believe that our regular participation in these discussions is essential as we want to ensure that the Foreign Service is not forgotten when it comes to federal employee benefits.

NEW LEADERS AT USAID AND STATE

8. The Senate confirmed the nomination of Henrietta Fore to be USAID Administrator and Director of United States Foreign Assistance. The Senate also confirmed Patrick Kennedy to be the Under Secretary of State for Management replacing Ms. Fore. AFSA looks forward to working with these individuals and wish them well as they take on their new assignments.

SCHOLARSHIPS

9. AFSA will award $138,400 in Financial Aid Scholarships in 2007/08. In mid-August, we sent the first disbursement of need-based scholarships totaling $69,200 to the universities of the 52 undergraduate college students AFSA is funding in the 2007/08 school year. These monies went to assist students in paying their fall 2007 semester expenses. The remaining $69,200 will be sent in December to help defray student's spring 2008 semester expenses.

10. AFSA scholarship applications for the 2008/09 school year (need-based scholarships and merit awards) will be available November 1 at www.afsa.org/scholar. The web site gives all the eligibility details. The scholarship application deadline is Feb. 6, 2008. Any questions can be directed toward Lori Dec, AFSA Scholarship Director at dec@afsa.org or 202-944-5504.

11. The DACOR Bacon House Foundation offers scholarships and fellowships to children and grandchildren of U.S. Foreign Service Officers to study at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT and at Yale University. All awards are based on merit. The deadline to apply is March 14, 2008. For more information about the DACOR awards and to find out how to apply please contact Ms. Kasia Helbin-Travis, Program Coordinator, at (202) 682-0500 x17 or prog.coord@dacorbacon.org.

SUPPORT AFSA IN THE CFC

12. AFSA has two non-profit funds that federal employees can make a CFC gifts to:

-- AFSA Scholarship Fund (CFC #11759): In 2007, the AFSA Scholarship Fund provided need-based undergraduate scholarships to 52 Foreign Service kids totaling $138,400 along with providing $28,500 in Academic and Art Merit awards to 25 Foreign Service high school seniors. The overhead of the AFSA Scholarship Program is 10%. AFSA Financial Aid Scholarships range from $1,500- $3,500 and Merit Awards range from $500-$1,500. Your support stays in the Foreign Service community. Go to www.afsa.org/scholar for complete details.

-- Fund for American Diplomacy (CFC #10646): The Fund for American Diplomacy (FAD) is AFSA's public education arm. We explain to high schoolers, college students, business leaders, senior citizens, media, etc. just how critical U.S. diplomacy and the Foreign Service are to America's national security and economic prosperity. Our speakers’ bureau, high school essay contest, and best selling book "Inside a U.S. Embassy" are just a few examples of the grassroots programs we offer. FAD's overhead expenses are only 7.3 percent. Go to www.afsa.org/CFCFAD.cfm for complete details.