French Consul General Discusses Franco-American Relations, Post-Cold War Challenges in Lawrence University Main Hall Forum

APPLETON, WIS. -- The Consul General of France in Chicago will visit Lawrence University Monday, April 29 to discuss the differences between the American and French models of globalization and the challenges the two allies face in a post-9/11 world.

Dominique Decherf, a 25-year veteran of the French Foreign Ministry, presents "America and France: Two Universalisms for One World," at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Decherf spent four years as the deputy head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris before being appointed to the consul generalšs post in Chicago last August. During his distinguished foreign service career, Decherf has served in French embassies around the world, including Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ouagadougou, Bukina Faso, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Luanda, Angola. He also has served as deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Paris and deputy consul general in Jerusalem.

Before joining the French foreign service, Decherf taught law at the University of Lille. He holds degrees from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and earned his doctorate in law from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. In addition, Decherf earned a master's degree from the Institute of Oriental Studies in Paris, where he studied Bantu and Swahili.

He spent the 2000-01 academic year as a Fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs researching the role of religion in international relations and studying Franco-American relations in the contexts of religion and politics.