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Jim and Fatmi Anders' gifts inspire global ambitions

Jim Anders '68 and his wife Fatmi are very familiar with international endeavors — their lifetimes of studying, living and working abroad have fostered cherished friendships and career success across the globe.

They hope to inspire UL Lafayette students to pursue a similar path through the James D. and Fatmi Anders Scholarship Fund in Political Science and the James D. and Fatmi Anders Faculty Enrichment Fund in Political Science. In addition to establishing these funds with current giving for immediate impact, they will add to these funds in the future thanks to a bequest in their estate plans.

When Jim Anders returned to academia from active duty with the U.S. Army Special Forces the summer of 1964, he initially attended Louisiana Tech, where he had taken classes before joining the military. However, in 1967 he transferred to the then-University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) due to its robust political science curriculum and exceptional faculty. He credits Dr. Philip Dur and Dr. Herb Levine for being instrumental in encouraging his interest in world affairs and government service.

During his senior year, Jim accepted a position with the Central Intelligence Agency. "What I learned at USL prepared me well for my 30+ year career with the CIA, starting from a para-military operations officer in the Directorate of Operations in domestic and foreign field assignments, and culminating in promotion to the ranks of the Senior Intelligence Service."

"The faculty and the curriculum went hand and hand; they steered me in the right direction, and I was able to get back in touch with Dr. Dur and Dr. Levine when I returned to Washington, D.C., from our last overseas assignment," Jim recalls. Fatmi agrees, saying the relationships span decades; Dr. Levine was a Christmas dinner guest many times.

International experience is vital to the Anders family, as both sets of their parents were civil servants. "This type of career can be challenging but is very enriching, so we hope the new funds will encourage people to pursue this profession. People have more in common with others than they realize, and higher education provides an opportunity to expand perspectives."

The Anderses hope their gifts ease financial burdens for those studying and teaching in the Department of Political Science. The scholarship provides financial assistance to students pursuing an undergraduate degree in political science or international relations, which the Anderses hope will help spur interest in working in governmental service or the intelligence field. The faculty enrichment fund, which provides support to participate in extracurricular academic endeavors that enhance their scholarship achievement, benefits the awardee and students alike.

Beyond expanding the horizons of students contemplating employment in government or intelligence, the Anderses also support other campus programs. Their discussions with Political Science Department Head Dr. Pearson Cross not only solidified their decision to create a faculty fund, they then began to support other initiatives like Campus Cupboard, a resource for students, faculty and staff who require short-term assistance meeting their food needs.

These conversations began once the Anderses attended the Golden Ambassador reunion in 2018 at UL Lafayette. "We were welcomed back and began to think about how we could help. We want to encourage someone who may not have considered government service. Had Jim not received such strong guidance and support from his professors, his life journey might have been different. It all goes back to the mentorship — and hopefully future mentors will inspire others."

For Jim & Fatmi Anders, the University's faculty and curriculum inspired a lifetime of service as well as a perpetual way to give back to the place which helped Jim achieve so much. "We need the best of the best," for this career, they say, and they believe UL Lafayette is the place to find them.