BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION (May 30, 2024) — Seven students at the Texas A and M Bush School’s Washington, D.C. teaching site, known as the Bush School DC, celebrated their Master of National Security & Intelligence (NSI) degrees on Friday, May 3. This cohort marks the first graduating class enrolled in the Diana Davis Spencer Program in National Security, which began in 2021.
“These first graduates of our NSI mark a huge milestone for the Bush School DC in the Diana Davis Spencer Program in National Security. The program was designed and built to get to this moment,” said Jay Silveria, associate vice president and chief operating officer of Texas A&M DC and executive director of the Bush School DC. “We look forward to great things from these graduates who are now ready to make an immediate impact on our nation’s security. We are so impressed with their dedication and hard work. They will be excellent representatives of the school and the legacy of President Bush.”
The seven students in the inaugural graduating class are Yasin Abdulkadir Abdi, Aaron Fox, Dakarai Johnson, Beverly Carlene Richardson, R.J. Durand Scheerer, Andreas Miguel Schnabel and Carter Van Dingler. Each student brought in a realm of knowledge and expertise to be bolstered by the master’s program, including a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, a legislative intern with the U.S. House of Representatives, an associate with the Center for International Private Enterprise and more.
The Master of National Security & Intelligence program prepares professionals for a career in national security, intelligence, and diplomacy. The degree strengthens a student’s ability to understand complex issues through rigorous coursework and exposure to real-world experts. By the end of the program, students must demonstrate intermediate or better proficiency in a foreign language and complete a capstone project for a client based on a real national security or intelligence issue. Courses in the program include American foreign policy, international politics in theory and practice, global economy, strategic intelligence, national security law, and more.,
“The faculty at Bush School DC look forward to watching with pride as our graduates rise to become the next generation of public and private sector leaders,” said Professor Gary Ross, director of the Intelligence Studies Program at the Bush School DC. “We are confident they will build upon the legacy of our namesake, President George H.W. Bush. The support provided by the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation continues to be transformational for each student embarking on a career dedicated to promoting U.S. national security interests both home and abroad.”
The Diana Davis Spencer Program in National Security master’s degree program is made possible by a generous grant from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, whose mission is to “promote national security, entrepreneurship, self-reliance, free enterprise, and to enhance the quality of life by supporting the arts, education, global understanding, health advancements and preservation of the environment.”
“None of this would have been possible without the generosity and support of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation,” Silveria said. “We are forever grateful for its vision and deep conviction to support these students and their work.”
