For about a 1% investment of the Federal budget, the State Department yields a large return for the American people by advancing U.S. national security, promoting our economic interests, providing services, and reaffirming our country’s exceptional role in the world. Read on to learn how the work of the Department benefits this state’s residents.

Pennsylvania

• Jobs and Diplomacy

  • In partnership with agencies across the federal government, the Department of State advances U.S. trade policy objectives by opening new export and job opportunities for American businesses and workers through trade initiatives. In Pennsylvania, approximately 192,000 U.S. jobs were supported by goods exports (2014) and foreign direct investment supported about 288,000 U.S. jobs (2013). This resulted in $39.4 billion in goods exports from Pennsylvania (2015). (EB) More»

  • The Department of State assisted with a deal worth approximately $346,000,000 million (U.S. Export Content estimated at $294,000,000) between General Electric and the Angolan Ministry of Transportation. The deal will provide the Angolan Ministry with 100 locomotives, plus eight modernization and training services. (EB) More»

  • The Department of State assisted with a deal worth approximately $81 million (U.S. Export Content estimated at $72,000,000) between Australia and General Electric. The contract between General Electric and Roy Hill Holdings of Australia will provide 22 diesel electric locomotives, and includes a servicing contract. (EB) More»

  • One of the 2015-2016 Veterans Innovation Partnership (VIP) fellows is from Pennsylvania. The partnership offers U.S. citizen veterans of the American armed forces a one-year paid fellowship to gain experience by working in a U.S. government international affairs agency. More information on the partnership is available here. (S/GP)

  • Pennsylvania hosted foreign physicians, teachers, camp counselors, au pairs and others as part of work and study-based international exchange visitor programs. (ECA) More»

  • The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) contributed nearly $98 million to the Pennsylvania economy through contracts and federal grants that directly supported INL missions. (INL) More»

  • 11 partnership plans were created under the Small Business Network of the Americas International Sister Center Program with Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Peru. (WHA) More»

  • Click here for more information about Department career recruitment events in Pennsylvania. (HR)

• Education

  • 173 Scholars, Students and Teachers from Pennsylvania were awarded Fulbright Scholarships. (ECA) More»

  • Diplomat-in-Residence (Usha Pitts): Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) are career Foreign Service Officers located throughout the U.S. who provide guidance and advice to students, professionals and the community about Department careers. (HR) More»

  • Medical Education Partnership Initiative Grant: University of Pennsylvania Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health create sustainable medical education and health research capacity in Botswana. (S/GAC) More»

  • Academic partnership in science, technology and health between Pennsylvania State University and the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Partnerships with universities abroad help U.S. institutions strengthen their programs, promote opportunities for students and faculty and enhance their global presence. (AF) More»

  • 637 exchange visitors from overseas visited Pennsylvania and 450 Pennsylvania residents travelled overseas as part of the Department’s educational and cultural exchange funded programs. (ECA) More»

  • The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs offered Pennsylvania State University $100,000 in grant funding to train young engineers in technology commercialization. (OES) More»

  • The University of Pittsburgh received a $250,000 award from the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative to work on joint renewable energy research with Banaras Hindu University in India. (SCA) More»

  • Drexel University received a $250,000 award from the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative for joint research on microbial contamination with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India. (SCA) More»

  • 180 Brazilian students attended several educational institutions in Pennsylvania through the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. This program is funded by the Brazilian government and the private sector and sends 101,000 Brazilian university students of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to study and conduct research abroad. The U.S. is a priority destination for scholarship recipients, and the program strengthens U.S. and Brazilian institutional partnerships, develops a workforce prepared for 21st century opportunities, and contributes to long-term economic growth for both countries. (WHA) More»

  • U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute held a comprehensive five-day Power Seminar in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and American companies in Pittsburgh that provided Foreign and Civil Service officers an overview of electricity generation, transmission, and regulation. NETL is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratory system with partnerships, cooperative research and development agreements, financial assistance, and contractual arrangements with universities and the private sector. (ENR) More»

  • The Department of State hosted an International Virtual College Fair in 2013 to celebrate International Education Week and the $29 billion international student industry in the United States. The event featured colleges and universities from across the United States and had more than 22,000 potential students from 206 countries in attendance that completed nearly 55,000 visits to the virtual university booths. Bucknell University participated in the International Virtual College Fair. (IIP) More»

• Partnerships

  • Pennsylvania hosted 86 students from allied and friendly nations for International Military Education and Training. (PM) More»

  • Refugee Arrivals in 2015: 2,668. The Department works with nine domestic nongovernmental organizations, which place refugees in over 300 affiliated offices in roughly 180 communities around the country. These local offices work closely with community partners, congregations, volunteers, and state and local officials to provide a successful start for refugees rebuilding their lives. Refugee communities have historically enhanced the economic dynamism and cultural vitality of our nation. Refugees contribute to the United States in numerous ways, including by starting businesses and joining the U.S. military. (PRM) More»

  • Spirit of Soccer, based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a U.K. and U.S. registered nonprofit that uses soccer/football skills, clinics, and tournaments to educate children about the dangers posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war in conflict and post-conflict regions. Spirit of Soccer received funding from the Political-Military Affairs Bureau’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) in FY 2014. (PM) More»

  • Museums Connect Cultural Exchange between the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh) and Gidan Makama Museum (Kano, Nigeria) – From the Ground Up: Nutritional Values and Cultural Connections. (ECA) More»

  • Museums Connect Cultural Exchange partnership between the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and the Interactive Science Museum (Quito, Ecuador) – Scaling the Walls/Escalando Paredes: Creating Urban Green Spaces. (ECA) More»

  • The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) partnered with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to deploy two assistant district attorneys to Thailand to provide training for the Thai Office of the Attorney General on juvenile diversion programs, which redirects youth away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system through community service or restitution. (INL) More»

  • The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) sponsored a visit by 13 Costa Rican officials to the International Institute for Restorative Practices in Bethlehem to help develop a juvenile restorative justice program in Costa Rica. (INL) More»

  • Temple University has provided intelligence-led policing training, and the St. Petersburg College Regional Community Policing Institute in Florida has provided Basic and Advanced Community Policing training to Salvadoran police in support of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Model Police Precinct projects in Central America. (INL) More»

  • The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) sponsored seven Mexican officials to attend the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania, to learn about the latest bomb investigation techniques to increase knowledge and experience in bomb investigation, prosecution and anti-terrorism bomb disposal. (INL) More»

  • The Office of Global Food Security has partnered with Pennsylvania State University as part of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab program, which offers U.S. universities and research institutions the opportunity to tackle global agriculture and food security challenges. (S/GFS) More»

  • The Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in cooperation with the Bureau of African Affairs, assisted in 2011 with an infrastructure exchange partnership between Nigeria’s Rivers and Delta States and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. (S/SRGIA/AF) More»

  • The Department of State facilitates the Pennsylvania National Guard State Partnership Program with Lithuania founded in 1993. (PM) More»

  • The Washington Foreign Press Center hosted 20 journalists on a tour to Philadelphia to learn about LGBT issues in the United States. (PA) More»

• Travel and Security

  • Total Passports Issued in Fiscal Year 2015: 481,992. (CA) More»

  • The Philadelphia Passport Agency comprises 40 government employees and 17 contract employees. (CA) More»

  • 312 Passport Application Acceptance Facilities. (CA) More»

  • Number of overseas adoptions for Pennsylvania families in Fiscal Year 2014: 208. The Office of Children's Issues plays an active role in the intercountry adoption process. Its work is dedicated to assisting parents as they seek to provide a home to orphans abroad. (CA) More»

  • Independence Hall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (IO)

  • The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which is managed by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), offered a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, an alleged Russian cybercriminal who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2014, as well as the District of Nebraska in 2012 and 2014. David J. Hickton, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, remarked at a February 24, 2015, joint press conference announcing the reward offer, “We are ready to bring Evgeniy Bogachev to justice in federal court in Pittsburgh. We will use every available legal and diplomatic means to bring all cyber criminals to justice wherever they reside.” Bogachev is currently at large. (INL) More»

  • Diplomatic Security New York Field Office serves Pennsylvania: Diplomatic Security has offices throughout the United States staffed with special agents and contract investigators, who conduct criminal, counterterrorism and background investigations. Agents assigned to field and resident offices assist in providing support to the protection of the Secretary of State, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and visiting foreign dignitaries. Liaison with federal and local law enforcement, foreign mission personnel, local officials, and the private sector complements their major responsibilities. (DS – Resident Office: Philadelphia Investigative Field Office) More»