Sri Jayewardenepura Uni. honours illustrious alumnus US Presidential Adviser on National Security Education Prof. Patrick Mendis

At the recommendation of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, the university council in December 2024 appointed Prof. Patrick Mendis as a distinguished visiting professor and honorary fellow of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 

Born in Polonnaruwa, Prof. Mendis is an illustrious alumnus of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Minnesota, and Harvard. 

Prof. Mendis presently serves as a Presidential Advisor on National Security Education at the US Department of Defence – an appointment by the Biden White House with the endorsement of the US Congress. A former US commissioner to UNESCO during the Obama and Trump administrations, Prof. Mendis previously served as an American diplomat and military professor at NATO and the Indo-Pacific Command during the Clinton and Bush administrations.

A first-class BSc honours graduate in business administration and economics at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, Prof. Mendis has a long and consistent record of scholarship and leadership. While at the Palugasdamana Maha Vidyalaya in Polonnaruwa, the young Boy Scout received the first UNESCO Award, served as a sergeant of the Police Cadets Corps, and became the best commander of the Army Cadets Corps in Sri Lanka.

With the national prominence as a sportsman and the highest Advanced Level results, Prof. Mendis won the American Field Service (AFS) scholarship among over 100,000 applicants. During his gap year, Prof. Mendis attended the Perham High School in Minnesota before joining the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1979.

At Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof. Mendis served as the founding secretary-general of the World University Service (WUS) and the president of the University Sports Council, while winning annual awards for swimming, running, and badminton. As the WUS secretary-general, he initiated a monthly lecture series, inviting prominent leaders and experts to the university.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Senior Prof. Pathmalal Manage said: “We are very honoured to have a world-class educator and award-winning diplomat more closely associated with our university. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Patrick Mendis Prize, given annually to the best student at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce.” 

The Head of the Department of Finance and Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce former Acting Dean Prof. Chandana Gunathilaka expressed gratitude for the continued support of Prof. Mendis, whose achievements are a testament to the university’s leadership in management education and nurturing global citizens.

Prof. Mendis represented Sri Lanka as its first youth ambassador to the United Nations in New York before he became a naturalised US citizen. Sri Lanka has indeed taken an immense pride in his government service under five American presidents in Washington and American military bases in Europe and Asia. All this began with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, explained Prof. Gunathilaka. 

For his indelible contributions to Sri Lanka, the United States, and the United Nations, the Sri Lanka Foundation in California presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Endorsing Prof. Mendis as a global leader in higher education and international diplomacy, Who’s Who in America in New York honoured him with the most coveted Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Prof. Mendis is currently the inaugural Taiwan chair and distinguished visiting professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow as well as a distinguished visiting professor of transatlantic relations at the University of Warsaw in Poland.

The Sri Lanka-born diplomat and educator is an inspiring role model for the current and future students of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He has shown the endless potential and opportunities to those who pursue knowledge, develop leadership skills, and embrace the idea of public service beyond national boundaries.