British Deputy Consul General to Participate in Distinguished Speakers Series

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Andy Pryce, deputy consul general at the British Consulate in Houston, will present “Bridges are for walking on: Transatlanticism during difficult times” as part of the International Relations Distinguished Speakers Series at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in room 323 of Old Main.

Pryce’s visit is particularly relevant given British Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent announcement that he intends to reexamine the United Kingdom’s place within the European Union. His assessment is in anticipation of a referendum on continued British membership of the EU scheduled for 2017 at the latest.

“The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has had a close and continuing relationship with the British Consulate General in Houston for the past four years, with the consulate providing an exclusive internship to a University of Arkansas student each summer,” said Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon, director of the international relations program and Cleveland C. Burton professor of international programs.

In his lecture, Pryce will draw on his experience serving as a British diplomat in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.

“Andy Pryce has been instrumental in fostering this relationship and it is a privilege to have him on campus to talk with our students,” said Grob-Fitzgibbon. “With his vast diplomatic experience in the British foreign service, much of it in the United States, his fascinating lecture on transatlantic relations will be timely and is a unique opportunity for our students to hear from somebody at the heart of the Special Relationship.”

The International Relations Distinguished Speakers Series was established by the International Relations Program in 2011 and seeks to bring prominent academics and practitioners in the field of international relations to the university for the benefit of undergraduate students.

Pryce was the head of public affairs at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 2007 until receiving his post in Houston in February 2009. He served in Washington in the early 1990s, and has also held posts in Karachi, Pakistan and Helsinki, Finland. He also served at the Foreign Office in London with a focus on modernizing the British Diplomatic Service.