Overview

The Foreign Policy Association of Harrisburg was organized in 1949 by a group of local educators and civic leaders as a venue for public discussion of international issues affecting United States foreign policy and America’s national and international interests. The Association changed its name in 2021 to The Foreign Policy Association of Central Pennsylvania to reflect its growing reach in the Central Pennsylvania region. The Association believes that America’s foreign policy is everyone’s business and that our lives are directly affected by the role the United States plays in world affairs.

The purpose of the Association is solely educational, to bring information on international issues and policies to the attention of our citizens. The FPA takes no position on the issues presented and discussed.

While aligned with the national Foreign Policy Association, the Central Pennsylvania FPA is independently governed by a board of directors from the Central Pennsylvania region. The FPA is a nonpartisan, non-profit educational association. It is funded by membership fees, sponsorships, and donations.

Programs

Each year, the Association presents a series of seven monthly dinner meetings which feature a speaker selected for their experience or expertise on the selected topic.

The monthly meetings consist of a social hour to meet the speaker at 5:30 PM, dinner at 6:30 PM and the speaker’s presentation at 7:30 PM, followed by a question and answer session with the speaker.

The meetings are held at the The Susquehanna Club, 608 Ross Ave, New Cumberland, PA. The dinner menus are selected by a committee working with the restaurant and are invariably excellent. The dinner cost is $33.00 per person for members and $38.00 for non-members.

Attendance at the dinner is by reservation. The presentation and question and answer session are open to the public free of charge.

For additional information on our programs click HERE.

In addition, the Association sponsors:

• Annual International Fellows Reception in conjunction with the Army War College to honor the foreign officers who are studying for a year at the U.S. Army War College.
• Annual visit to Washington D.C. with a briefing at a foreign embassy and United States Department of State.
• Annual Keystone Speaker Series notable foreign policy diplomats and experts who deliver insights based on experience and knowledge.
• Great Decisions program study groups that meet to discuss key international issues from the Great Decisions study book.
• Monthly newsletter and announcements of coming events.
• Scribes—college students who have a major and/or interest in international studies can be selected to serve as a scribe to attend a monthly dinner meeting and write a summary of our speaker’s presentation for our newsletter.
• Student Scholarships—College students who have been scribes in the previous year may apply for the opportunity to be selected for a scholarship and to speak to an FPA monthly meeting.