William Drozdiak is the 2005–2006 Distinguished Alumni Fellow in the Social Sciences

University Ties:
Graduated from UO in 1971 with a degree in Political Science. Played basketball for the university in the late sixties and early seventies (and then went on to play professionally in Europe).

Aliases:
While working for Time magazine, Bill was known as a “globetrotter,” a traveling correspondent who covered London, Paris, Cairo and Beirut. Bill also worked for the Washington Post during the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and held a position as founding director of a think tank in Brussels, the Transatlantic Center, sponsored by the German Marshall Fund.

Accomplices:
Bill met his wife, Renilde, at the College of Europe in Bruges. Renilde is now the Consul General for Belgium and the couple has three children.

Stomping Grounds:
Bill returned to the U.S. last year after living abroad for fourteen years. One of his favorite memories is playing professional basketball in Italy, where “the crowds were very emotional, the food was great and the people were wonderful.” Bill also particularly enjoyed his time in Spain.

Current Mission:
At ACG, Bill works on public policy issues, anticipates emerging challenges for transatlantic relationships and encourages innovative problem solving. At the moment, they are closely following the formation of the new German government. On October 10, 2005, Angela Merkel became Germany’s first female chancellor.

Influences:
Bill claims it was UO Professor Emeritus Arthur Hanhardt who first got him interested in Germany and German politics. Bill views Ben Bradlee (of the Washington Post) as a mentor figure and admires the diplomacy of close friend Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke is the former chief American diplomat to the United Nations.

Remember When:
This is the second time Bill has been honored by the University as an alumnus—the first being the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1985.