Headshot of U.S. Ambassador Joseph H. Melrose Jr. '66 Headshot of U.S. Ambassador Joseph H. Melrose Jr. '66

Ambassador Melrose

To uphold its commitment to global citizenship, Ursinus College has established the Melrose Center for Global Civic Engagement in honor of the late U.S. Ambassador Joseph H. Melrose Jr. ’66. 

The Melrose Center seeks to develop future global leaders through unprecedented learning opportunities that will allow students to engage with global leaders to help enact social change.

Melrose embodied the ideal of global citizenship and, while at Ursinus, advocated for a liberal arts curriculum that cultivated sensitivity to cultural, demographic, economic and political differences. A former U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone, he is best known for serving the country during its civil war and brokering a peace treaty to bring an end to hostilities.

He led multiple efforts to help U.S. embassies recover from hostile situations or terror attacks, and was instrumental in establishing the first certification process for diamonds, so that “blood diamonds” did not enter the retail stream. 

Melrose returned to his alma mater in 2002 to serve as professor of politics and international relations and the college’s ambassador-in-residence. Read More