Difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible decisions were part of the job during Philip Odeen鈥檚 days serving in the office of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the Vietnam era.
Nor were they any easier when he later led the Defense and Arms Control staff for former National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. 鈥淭he environment you鈥檙e in shapes your decisions,鈥� Odeen told about 30 海角在线 students last week. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a prisoner to some degree to what you know.鈥�
Odeen, who went on to achieve success in the corporate world, was the speaker during the University鈥檚 first President鈥檚 Lyceum, held in the Warren Library. The President鈥檚 Lyceum is a speaker鈥檚 series in which visitors who have distinguished themselves in various professions come to present their insights and experiences in a discussion with 海角在线 students.
The speakers are asked to share case studies, stories and the wisdom they have acquired over the course of their careers.
Odeen holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in government from the University of South Dakota in 1957. He was a Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom the following year, and he earned a master鈥檚 degree in 1959 from the University of Wisconsin.
Today he is the non-executive chairman of AES, an international power company and Convergys, a leading outsourcing company. He is active in various government advisory groups, primarily in the defense and national security areas.
During Wednesday鈥檚 presentation, Odeen took questions from the students, all of whom are considered high achievers in and out of the classroom.
When asked how college students can prepare to deal with the world鈥檚 problems, Odeen suggested studying economics, traveling internationally and mastering technology. He also said that being active on his college debate team has helped him greatly in his career.
Another student asked about his most satisfying moments professionally. Odeen said one of them was working with Kissinger during the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). 鈥淚 think we all felt very comfortable with what we had done,鈥� he said.
Another professional highlight was helping a small company grow to a billion-dollar, publicly traded entity, he said.
The students said they appreciated being able to hear about Odeen鈥檚 unique view of historical events.
鈥淭he speaker was very insightful. He gave a real-world perspective,鈥� said Greg Bromley, a senior who is majoring in pre-law and philosophy. 鈥淚t was definitely an honor and a privilege to be invited.鈥�
Olivia Anderson, a sophomore honors student who is majoring in English and minoring in history, agreed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so exciting to know the background information to some of the events I鈥檝e studied in history.鈥�
After hearing Odeen鈥檚 talk, Juan-Jose Cavallo, a music major and a sophomore in the Supper Honors program, said that many times the past is portrayed as black and white. In fact, he said, 鈥渁 lot of things are very gray.鈥�
