Swedish Ambassador visits NSU and CAHSS Comparative Government Class

The Ambassador of Sweden to the US, Karin Olofsdotter, visited NSU on February 6, 2020. She met with President George Hanbury, Ph.D., and Interim Provost Ron Chenail, Ph.D. The Ambassador delivered a lecture on Sweden’s political system, economy, and society in Stephen Levitt’s LL.M., comparative government class of thirty students. Levitt is an associate professor in the Department of History and Political Science in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS).

According to Levitt, “The Ambassador’s visit was a highlight of the semester for the students.  In her lecture, she highlighted features of Swedish government and society.  The NSU students were able to compare and contrast Swedish government and society with what they have learned about government and society in the United Kingdom and Germany. The students enjoyed the lecture and asked many interesting questions.”

The Ambassador emphasized Sweden’s continued support for the European Union and the Swedish people’s warm relationship with the United States and its citizens. She was named Ambassador to the US on September 1, 2017. Previously she was the Director-General for Trade at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She also held the position of Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department for Promotion of Sweden, Trade, and CSR. Her career in the Foreign Service began in 1994 when she was posted to the Swedish Embassy in Moscow.

Ambassador Olofsdotter has affection for the US. She was a high school exchange student and later earned her B.A.in psychology, economics, and Russian from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She speaks English, French, and Russian.