On Monday, April 22^nd, 2024, Dr. Ross “Rusty” Butler made a special presentation in the POLS 3640 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals class at Utah Valley University (UVU). Dr. Butler was a former Honorary Consul General of the Russian Federation in the State of Utah, and a dedicated advisor and leader as a vice-President for International Affairs and Diplomacy at UVU as well as the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF, a coalition of student clubs at UVU. UIMF promotes sustainable mountain development (SMD) in the State of Utah and in North America, including the United Nations. Now retired, Dr. utler continues to be an advocate for civic engagement, diplomacy, and Student Engaged Learning (SEL)--now as a student! SEL at UVU encourages students to resolve real-world problem as a group with teacher mentoring them. With his extensive resume, Dr. Butler could teach many of the classes he now attends with us, his fellow classmates.

Dr. Ross “Rusty” Butler lectured at UVU

Since we were in a classroom setting, Dr. Butler prepared a slideshow, which contained stories and pictures from throughout his career in a diplomatic world. Many of them were meetings between him and various international guests, which he had arranged to visit Utah and UVU. Much of his work centered on his role with the Russian Honorary Consulate in Salt Lake City. He was the primary host of the Russian delegation in the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, and with the connections he made there, organized the Moscow-Utah Youth Games in 20023, where a group of high schoolers from Utah traveled to Moscow to compete with their Russian peers and then hosted them in the State of Utah in 2004. Due to his extensive work with Russian leaders, Dr. Butler was even once interviewed at length by the FBI, which he recounted with a scowl. After working with Russia, he continued hosting diplomatic guests through UVU, and hosted Ambassadors to the United States and to the UN from Russia, India, Iceland, India, and China, among others. On one occasion, Dr. Butler chose to host a couple of diplomats from Kyrgyzstan, which led to a UVU teaching job and lifelong friendship with our very own Professor Baktybek Abdrisaev.

Dr. Butler spent the second half of his presentation addressing his time advocating for mountain communities and encouraging students to do the same through the SEL. He represented UVU at the Mountain Partnership, which coordinates SMD globally, hosted Women of the Mountains Conferences in the State of Utah, and chaperoned several student delegations to attend and speak at various UN forums, including sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women in NYC. Along with students, Dr. Butler hosted even more foreign dignitaries, including Permanent Representatives to the UN from Fiji, Romania, Macedonia, Switzerland, Hungary and elsewhere. He became (and still is) a most helpful mentor that many students have used to jumpstart their own diplomatic careers.

Group Photo With Dr. Butler After the Lecture

Towards the end of his presentation, Dr. Butler answered a few questions. I asked him about the beginning of his career and how he chose to pursue diplomacy. To my surprise, he said he got a PhD in Linguistics, and began by working with tech companies by editing their press releases and other documents. Through that job, he worked in the United States Senate and the White House, attending many dinners and banquets, which piqued his interest in all things international. Regarding career trajectory, he advised us to “be as educated as possible, network like crazy, and keep our eyes open for opportunities.”                                                                                          

     

    Janessa Purcell, UIMF President-designate presents a gift to Dr. Butler                                                   Abe Weisler thanks Dr. Butler for his lecture 

In conclusion, Dr. Rusty Butler gave us a delightful and memorable experience. He is a humble professional, dedicated to life-long learning. Even with his long and illustrious career, he now attends classes and even proclaimed “I’m as a non-traditional student as you will ever see!” His presentation was a wonderful way to spend the last day of class, and it was a special treat to hear from a fellow classmate, one we have come to know and admire. He has built a life on friendship and community and elevates the international presence of UVU and the State of Utah with his continuous leadership.

                      Abe Weisler, Utah Valley University student

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PowerPoint of the Presentation

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Dr. Rusty Butler - (youtube.com)

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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS

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