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June 10, 2024June 10, 2024

Dr. Jisoo Kim Selected as Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow

Investigating Power Dynamics in Korean History and Redefining Legal Narratives in Marriage

Dr. Jisoo M. Kim, Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures, has been selected by the Harvard Radcliffe Institute as a fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year. A year-long Radcliffe fellowship provides the rare opportunity to intensely pursue ambitious projects in the unique environment of the Institute. Each fellowship class is drawn from some of the most thoughtful and exciting contemporary scholars in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts—along with writers, journalists, playwrights, and other distinguished professionals. For this year’s historic 25th anniversary class, Radcliffe accepted just 3.3 percent of applicants.

Dr. Kim’s research interests lie in law, gender and sexuality, emotions, affect, and forensic medicine. At Radcliffe, she will conduct research at the Schlesinger Library and work on a book that investigates the criminalization of heterosexual intimacies and unequal power structures in marriage in Korean history. This year’s Radcliffe fellows will be part of a unique interdisciplinary and creative community that will step away from routines to tackle projects that they have long wished to move forward. Throughout the academic year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress with the community and public.

About: Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. She is Founding Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (2017-Present) and Founding Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center (2018-Present). She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies. She specializes in gender, sexuality, law, emotions, and affect in Korean history. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2016), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Criminalizing Intimacy: Marriage, Concubinage, and Adultery Law in Korea, 1469-2015. She received her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University.

About Harvard Radcliffe Institute: The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration. We bring students, scholars, artists, and practitioners together to pursue curiosity-driven research, expand human understanding, and grapple with questions that demand insight from across disciplines.

For more information, visit www.radcliffe.harvard.edu.

June 4, 2024June 5, 2024

Kluge Fellowship Recipient Spotlight: Dr. Leniqueca Welcome

Exploring Postcolonial Statecraft and Anti-Blackness in Trinidad

Leniqueca Welcome, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, was awarded a 9-month Kluge Fellowship from the Library of Congress to work on her book manuscript.

Dr. Welcome is a multimodal anthropologist and designer from Trinidad and Tobago. Her research and teaching interests are postcolonial statecraft, racialization, gendering, securitization, visuality, and affect. Her work combines more traditional ethnographic methods with photography and collage.

The Kluge Center at the Library of Congress supports interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Scholars in various fields can access extensive collections, including the world’s largest law library and diverse materials like manuscripts, maps, music, films, and more. Established in 2000 with a $60 million endowment from John W. Kluge, its Fellows have gone on to achieve notable academic success and public recognition, making lasting contributions as public intellectuals.Twelve Kluge Fellowships are awarded annually. The fellowship will enable Welcome to focus on her first book manuscript, which examines criminalization and the operation of colonial technologies of anti-blackness over space and time in Trinidad.

Welcome’s writing can also be found in venues such as Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism, Multimodality & Society, and Cultural Anthropology.

About: Leniqueca Welcome received her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with certificates in urban studies and experimental ethnography from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. Prior to starting her Ph.D. program, she was trained as an architect at the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and worked at ACLA architecture (a design firm in Trinidad) until 2015.

Learn more about Kluge Fellowships from the Library of Congress.

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024

The Taiwan Relations Act: Safeguarding Taiwan’s Security

Exhibit Looks Back on 45 Year History

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies recently collaborated with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative’s Office in the US (TECRO) on a photo exhibition celebrating 45 years of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) entitled “TRA@45”. The exhibit launched on May 7th with a panel discussion on the Taiwan Relations Act featuring the Taiwan Representative to the United States, Ambassador Alexander Tah-ray Yui.

Enacted on April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act authorized the United States to maintain substantive relations with Taiwan after the U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. It allows the U.S. to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons and support for its self-defense and states that any threat to Taiwan’s security is of grave concern to the U.S.

The act emphasizes that any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area.

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of this landmark legislation, and TECRO has organized the TRA@45 exhibition of photographs to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of the enduring friendship that Taiwan and the United States have built over the past four decades.

May 2, 2024May 6, 2024

Elliott School Wins Prestigious Awards for Innovation and Inclusion

Two Elliott School programs received prestigious awards from the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global network comprising 40 leading schools of international affairs. The Generations Dialogue Project (GDP) won the 2024 APSIA Inclusion Award for Community Building, while the Data Literacy Initiative (DAPP) received the Innovation Award for Professional Development Programming.

Notably, the Elliott School was the only school to win multiple accolades.

The Generations Dialogue Project aims to increase diversity in the foreign policy field by connecting young people with giants who blazed a trail in international affairs. Peer-led intergenerational dialogues address anxieties that may prevent younger generations from pursuing these careers, with candid sharing of experiences and life lessons beyond career achievements.

Jennifer Brinkerhoff, professor of public administration and international affairs at George Washington University who leads the Generations Dialogue Project, reflected, “It has been such an honor to engage with so many amazing students and giants of international affairs who shared so generously and personally to support the next generation. I am deeply gratified that APSIA recognizes the importance of this type of engagement.”

GW’s Data Literacy Initiative also earned top honors from APSIA for equipping current and future policymakers with cutting-edge data analytics skills. The innovative program bridges the gap between data science and traditional policy analysis to revolutionize policymaking in today’s information-rich world. Data Analytics for Policy Professionals (DAPP) is a program for professionals of all ages and career stages. Its curriculum was developed in consultation with federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Foreign Service Institute, and the National Security Council, as well as think tanks and industry leaders such as fp21 and GDIT. The ability to bridge data skills with job-specific knowledge is increasingly in demand across the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Laila Sorurbakhsh, assistant dean of academic programs, assistant professor of international affairs and director of online education who co-directed the initiative, said, ”I am thrilled that the Data Analytics for Policy Professionals program has been honored with APSIA’s 2024 Innovation Award! I am immensely proud of the collaborative efforts of my co-director, Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Chris Markiewicz, assistant director of academic programs, our exceptional students, and our dedicated instructors. Together, they embody a spirit of innovation and excellence here at GW.”

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024

Elliott School Celebrates 125 Years of International Affairs Education

The celebration reflected on the evolution of the school and the diverse careers it has prepared students for over the years.

GW Today Article

Rose Gottemoeller (l), M.A. ’81, the first woman and second American to serve as deputy secretary general of NATO, and Elliott School Dean Alyssa Ayres.

Alumni and students of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University gathered on Thursday evening to celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary and its commitment to teaching and researching international affairs while preparing countless students for impactful careers in diplomacy and related global fields.

Celebrators gathered Thursday in the City View Room on the top floor of the school with its panoramic view of the city’s monuments. The room was decorated with buff and blue balloons and poster boards that told the history of the school.

GW President Ellen M. Granberg kicked off the event, thanking attendees for gathering to commemorate the milestone in the school’s history.

“As the world has changed over the last 125 years, the study of international affairs at GW has kept pace, evolving into an expansive, multidisciplinary organization that draws from a wide range of disciplines,” Granberg said. “Today, we are adapting to new challenges in the international arena, pushing boundaries in emerging disciplines and preparing the next generation of leaders and change-makers for an increasingly complex global stage.”

Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School, said the school has continued to be a strong force in teaching global issues firmly rooted in engaging with policy and striving for impact.

“For 125 years we have continuously adapted to new challenges, all while preparing our students for an increasingly diverse set of careers,” Ayres said. “The majority of our students, undergraduate as well as graduate, now go on to careers in the private sector and nongovernmental organizations, even as the call of public service remains an important pathway for many. As the world becomes more complex, the emphasis we place on practice, fostering international dialogue and shaping policy solutions, prepares our graduates for whatever they will encounter.”

The Elliott School was established in 1898 as the School of Comparative Jurisprudence with an enrollment number of 90 students. The school’s focus on international law attracted prominent faculty such as Associate Supreme Court Justices John M. Harlan and David J. Brewer. After enrollment began to drop, in 1905, the institution was renamed the School of Politics and Diplomacy (SPD) for two years. In 1907, SPD was replaced by the College of the Political Sciences which held its last commencement in June of 1913. For the next 15 years, international affairs programs were transferred to the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, where a focus was still placed on preparing students for foreign and public service.

Through the years, the school underwent several more name changes, then in 1987, the institution was renamed to School of International Affairs and worked to become a prominent leader in international affairs education. In 1988, the school was named the Elliott School to honor former GW President Lloyd H. Elliott and his wife Evelyn E. Elliott. Over the past 125 years, the school has served as a hub for discussions on significant international developments and continues its commitment to teaching and researching international affairs.

Marshall Parke, B.A. ’76, and Jenna Segal, B.A. ’98, the co-chairs of the Elliott School Board of Advisors, took to the podium to share how being alumni of the school prepared them for fulfilling careers.

“I came to GW in 1974,” Parke said. That was 50 years ago. And I came because I wanted a life involved in world affairs.”

He shared some of his favorite memories from his time at GW, including interning on Capitol Hill and experiencing historic moments including President Richard Nixon’s impeachment just steps from the White House. Parke said even after leaving GW, being an alumnus of the school continued to open many doors for him well into his career.

“It’s been a great road for an amazing 50 years of being a GW alumnus,” Parke said.

Segal said she credits the Elliott School for exposing her to the interconnectedness of international relations and the art world and equipping her with the skills to become a global cultural ambassador and advocate for positive change through art.

“I’m proud to call myself an Elliott School alumna and on behalf of the Elliott School Board of Advisors, cheers to 125 years of international affairs education at GW, may our legacy continue for many generations to come,” Segal said.

Rose Gottemoeller, M.A. ’81, the first woman and second American to serve as deputy secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), spoke about why she’s proud to be a graduate of GW.

Gottemoeller said she’s dedicated her career to working in policy, primarily focused on arms control and nuclear nonproliferation.

“I am grateful for the way that GW prepared me for life as a practitioner,” Gottemoeller said. “If it hadn’t been for the education that I received in my master’s program at George Washington University, I would not have the skill sets that I needed to succeed in the way I’ve been able to succeed. So I’ve been very grateful to the university over the years and very happy to have these relationships in latter years and the opportunity to meet so many talented young students.”

April 2, 2024April 2, 2024

GW’s Public Interest Technology Scholars Will Raise the Bar on Conversations about Tech and Civic Interest

Elliott School’s Susan Ariel Aaronson, CCAS’s Alexa Alice Joubin and SMPA’s David Karpf comprise the university’s inaugural PIT Scholars cohort.

Authored by: Ruth Steinhardt

The George Washington University introduced its Public Interest Technology (PIT) Scholars program this week, supported by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to the study and application of technology that advances the public good by recognizing and empowering scholars contributing to that work. Three GW faculty members were named to the inaugural PIT Scholars cohort:

Susan Ariel Aaronson, research professor of international affairs in the Elliott School of International Affairs, director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub and co-principal investigator of the NIST-NSF Trustworthy AI Institute for Law and Society (TRAILS);
Alexa Alice Joubin, professor of English, theatre, East Asian languages and cultures and women’s, gender and sexuality studies in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and of international affairs in the Elliott School, affiliate of Trustworthy AI Institute for Law and Society, and founding co-director of the Digital Humanities Institute; and
David Karpf, associate professor of media and public affairs in the School of Media and Public Affairs.

As PIT Scholars, Aaronson, Joubin and Karpf will facilitate cross-disciplinary research and teaching, seek new collaborations at GW and beyond and deliver a university-wide lecture. Their work also will raise awareness of the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), of which GW has been a member since 2020.

“GW faculty can play an important role in facilitating technology in the public interest through research, education and service,” Vice Provost for Research Pamela Norris said. “In fact, there are many opportunities for GW to combine our historical strengths in fields like law, policy and international affairs with technology innovation to grow a new generation of civic-minded technologists and digitally fluent policymakers.”

At the PIT Scholars launch event in Science and Engineering Hall Wednesday afternoon, faculty from a range of disciplines gathered to discuss the definition of PIT, the opportunities and challenges its development presents and how to stimulate the collaboration necessary to promote it. Each of the three scholars gave a brief presentation on their ongoing PIT-related projects, as did Zoe Szajnfarber, director of strategic initiatives for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and professor of engineering management and systems engineering, and of space policy. Jack Goodman, a senior associate at government relations firm Lewis-Burke Associates, also presented on the range of federal funding available for PIT-related initiatives.

PIT is almost inherently interdisciplinary, speakers suggested, depending as it does on a variety of perspectives regarding both what the “public interest” or “civic good” actually is and also how a given product or initiative could affect that interest. Technology developed from a single disciplinary viewpoint, even with the best of intentions, may have unintended but major consequences in another arena.

Aaronson encouraged attendees to be “Johnny Appleseeds,” spreading the word about PIT and its potential in their own departments, and reminded the audience that TRAILS—the stated mission of which is to ensure the participation of diverse stakeholders in AI development so that future AI systems enhance human capacity, respect human dignity and protect human rights—opens its 2024 application season in April. “We are really eager to see proposals from people in departments that are traditionally underrepresented,” she said.

Karpf, currently on sabbatical, is working on a book based on his reading of the entire back catalogue of “Wired” magazine. Digital boosterism can have a distorting effect, he said, leading public enthusiasm—and research, in its wake—from one big idea to the next without evaluating the impact of previous zeitgeists. “I want to capture some sense of the stories that we tell ourselves about how our technologies change the world, and what we can learn from looking at contemporaneous predictions,” he said.

And, Karpf joked, “as somebody who spent the past six years sitting around reading old tech magazines and designing a class around old tech magazines,” he also appreciates the way the PIT Scholars program gives him a “deeply appealing” opportunity to “help build a community where that [work] is of some strange use.”

Joubin, who is working on multiple projects examining the interplay of technology, language, culture and the public interest, spoke passionately about the importance of involving humanities and arts scholars in conversations about tech, and vice versa. The written word, she pointed out, is itself a form of technology that no current scholarship has bettered. Where technology and the humanities intersect—which, increasingly, is everywhere—these intersections “force us to ask and rethink longstanding questions about moral agency, trustworthiness, the mind and body and the relationship between humans and machines.”

Such questions may seem esoteric, and projects on the borders of PIT may currently seem fringe. But, as Joubin pointed out, knowledge can only advance at the borders of what’s currently known. As PIT Scholars, she and her colleagues can “showcase the value of being atypical.”

“Atypical work is where breakthroughs are possible,” she said. “There is value in being a little bit of a weirdo.”

March 4, 2024March 4, 2024

Africa’s ‘Iron Lady’ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Visits GW

Former presdient of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf talked to an audience that filled Jack Morton Auditorium. (William Atkins/GW Today)

GW’s Institute for African Studies inaugurates the Bridges Institute Africa Series in conversation with the Nobel Peace Laureate and former president of Liberia.

Authored by: B.L. Wilson

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was introduced as “an extraordinary leader, the former president of the Republic of Liberia, a Nobel Peace Laureate and recipient of the Mo Ibrahim award for achievement in African leadership,” by the Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs Alyssa Ayres.

These honors were bestowed upon Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected woman of an African country, for restoring democratic rule and bringing economic stability and peace to Liberia after a decade of civil war. “She is now known as a tireless activist, an advocate and champion for peace and for women’s inclusion and participation in peace building,” said Ayres.

With this brief introduction, Ayres inaugurated the George Washington University Bridges Institute Africa lecture series in the Jack Morton Auditorium that was filled to capacity Tuesday evening. The lecture series was endowed by the Bridges Institute, which was founded by the Hon. Vivian Lowery Derryck, a member of the Elliott School’s Board of Advisors, to help strengthen African governments and democracy through advocacy and dialogue by building a platform for civil society to engage with senior U.S. and African leadership on the challenges of peace building, democracy and empowerment.

Derryck provided a broad description of Johnson Sirleaf’s worldwide standing as “Africa’s Iron Lady,” praising her as a “defiant” leader who survived abuse and imprisonment and dared challenge the corrupt leadership of previous Liberian presidents before winning election against a popular soccer star in 2005.

“She invested in agriculture, she emphasized education, she emphasized the importance of democratic institutions and the rule of law,” said Derryck. “She installed competent women in cabinet positions, and she underscored the centrality of market women not only to the economy but to the social fabric of the country.”

Johnson Sirleaf is also noted for stepping down after two terms in office and continuing her activism as a worldwide citizen.

The 85-year-old Johnson Sirleaf stepped gingerly to the podium to speak to the audience before sitting for a conversation with the Director of the GW Institute for African Studies Jennifer G. Cooke. In a measured but spirited voice, she observed that there were many in the audience whom she could name one by one whom she hoped to engage in a dialogue about what they now face.

“The Bridges Lecture takes place at a time of global disarray, a crisis imposed by the crisis of COVID-19 that disrupted the path of sustainable development in the developing world and revealed so starkly the imbalances in our global architecture, politically and economically,” she said. “Today we face the existential threat of climate change, the uncertainties of artificial intelligence and the resurgence of conflicts around the world fueled by the malign actors who see democracy as a threat to their ambitions. These forces are impacting Africa, which has seen a decline in partner support for democracy for the first time in decades.

“The multilateralism that has been the bedrock of global peace and security has been compromised,” Johnson Sirleaf continued. “Social media platforms have fueled shallow understandings of history and the drivers that build society, consensus and cohesion. Our world is crying out for leadership that meets the moment.”

Cooke asked Johnson Sirleaf what she saw as the way forward in this deeply polarized era when people no longer listen to one another, and negotiation and compromise seem almost impossible.

Johnson Sirleaf responded that in the period following World War II leaders addressed conflicts and tensions with dialogue and consultation to achieve global cooperation, processes that current leaders need to go back to.

“It takes a leader who is willing to make sacrifice, compromise…and stand tall for the principles that brought them to leadership,” she said. “We need those old-fashioned methods of assuring peace and security in the world.”

Cooke noted that many regions of the world that were not involved in the creation of those multilateral institutions that set those standards do not feel represented. What could be done, Cooke asked, to restore the legitimacy of multilateral institutions like the United Nations, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund?

Johnson Sirleaf said there are new, big nations that do not subscribe to the old international standards. She pointed out that issues today are more complex. “We must also accept the fact that the time for change has come,” she said. “Some of those institutions…have to be reinstituted, reunited for more participation for people, more participation for society, the acceptances of differences in policies and vision.”

But dialogue, Johnson Sirleaf noted, will be needed to make those changes and work through a system of global interaction.

“In a world bound together by financial and communications systems, one has to recognize that no matter how powerful, nations cannot stand alone and survive,” she said. “The time has come to accept the fact that nations are more equal.”

Addressing younger women in the audience during a Q & A session, Johnson Sirleaf said, “Obtain as much knowledge as you can so when you speak you speak with the abilities that you have developed. Stay focused on what your goals are. Set those goals with full determination, know that you can achieve them. Even when you face tough obstacles be courageous enough to accept them…and rise above it.

“If you are from Africa, get as much as you can get of experience and knowledge and go home. Go serve your country.”

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024

SPS celebrates its 45th Anniversary

A Brief History of Security Policy Studies at Elliott, 1979-2024

By Professor Paul D. Williams, SPS Program Director

The Elliott School’s M.A. program in Security Policy Studies (SPS) was born out of the George Washington University’s collaboration with U.S. military colleges that started in 1961. Across two decades, the university offered master’s degrees to military officers; tuition back then was $81 per semester hour!

The Security Policy Studies program officially launched in 1979, when Professor Burton Sapin recognized the importance of studying how the United States dealt with its foreign policy and security problems. The program examined how security policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated, which remains the central task of SPS today.

Over the coming decades, the program evolved and grew in response to emerging issues in the field. For example, SPS broadened its curriculum to include environmental and economic challenges and emerging concerns about terrorism. In the 1990s, SPS Director Deborah Avant decided to add skills-based courses to enable students to learn first-hand how security agencies and organizations really operate.

Professor Avant also instituted a practicum capstone. “I will never forget that first capstone,” she said. “It was a simulation with Admiral/Ambassador Crowe playing president. It was so rewarding to see the students use both their theoretical and practical training as they worked through the scenario.”

September 11, 2001, was a watershed moment for the security studies field, at Elliott and elsewhere. Under Professor Joanna Spear’s leadership, the SPS program responded with a renewed emphasis on transnational security issues, including a focus on how intelligence communities were responding to them. New courses launched, including Understanding Terrorism, Responses to Terrorism, Counterinsurgency, and Transnational Security Issues.

The program also launched a specialized concentration in “Security and Development,” to give students a “toolbox” to take into their careers.” And thanks to a donation from the Cumming Family, SPS ran a series of workshops culminating in the co-edited book, Security and Development in Global Politics: A Critical Comparison (Georgetown University Press, 2012).

By the late 2010s, counterterrorism and counterinsurgency were receding from the list of U.S. national security priorities. Of course, both issues persisted, but the Washington spotlight returned to great power competition, codified in the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy. Today’s SPS program, with its four concentration areas, grew out of faculty members’ work to ensure the SPS curriculum provided students with key foundational knowledge, along with flexibility to specialize in areas relevant to their career aspirations.

In 2020, the COVID pandemic affected every dimension of higher education. Leading the SPS program into the realm of online and hybrid learning, Program Director Professor Arturo Sotomayor made a significant advancement by managing risks and uncertainties while also diversifying the student body. In fall 2022, with students back on campus, the Elliott School launched the SPS online degree in U.S. National Security.

Amidst the challenging conditions brought on by the pandemic, the SPS Student Board served as an essential conduit between educators and students. A vibrant and active student body is one indicator of a flourishing program, and our Student Board plays a vital role in ensuring student voices are part of the program’s governance and building a strong sense of community and friendship among an SPS student body.

This year, as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the SPS program, we are grateful to past directors, who kept an eye on emerging trends and adapted the curriculum accordingly. The program’s suite of professional skills courses is second to none, helping students develop distinctive selling points in competitive job markets. Today’s SPS students are comfortable operating in cyberspace as well as physical space. And they have a keen interest in data analytics—to better understand and present evidence, trends, arguments, and conclusions.

The Security Policy Studies program is not an island! We have greatly benefited from being part of the larger suite of postgraduate programs offered at the Elliott School and the George Washington University, which provide students with a large range of multidisciplinary options. SPS students learn from an impressive array of courses: covering issues from global health security to national security law and from hacking cyber systems to understanding geographic information systems.

Many part-time faculty—often practitioners—help to enrich the SPS program despite their own hectic professional schedules. To demonstrate the degree of dedication: Bruce Powers has consistently taught defense policy for over three decades. The program’s gratitude goes to Bruce and to each and every part-time faculty member.

Clearly, the efforts of many people have shaped the highly successful SPS program of the 2020s. Here’s to the next 45 years and beyond.

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024

One Summer: A World of Opportunity

The Elliott School of International Affairs and GW’s College of Professional Studies partner with the Ronald Reagan Institute to give students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

January 31, 2024 | Authored by: Danielle Robleski

GW RRI: Academy For Civic Education & Democracy

A summer in Washington, DC is enough to entice any civic-minded young professional. The Ronald Reagan Institute’s Academy for Civic Education and Democracy (ACED) has partnered with The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and College of Professional Studies to make this dream a reality for a select cohort of students from all across the country. Selected undergraduate students will participate in an eight-week summer program of profound, experiential learning at no cost to them.

The Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute, a nonprofit organization created by former President Ronald Reagan, lists as its mission that it seeks to “complete President Reagan’s unfinished work and to preserve the timeless principles he championed: individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy and national pride.” Their main location, which includes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, is located in Simi Valley, California. In 2022, they opened the Ronald Reagan Institute (RRI) just north of the White House, which carries out the Foundation’s mission in Washington, D.C.

Students in the program will be able to take three courses through GW: A core course titled “Civic Education and Democracy” and two elective courses offered by ESIA, entitled “U.S. Foreign Policy and Decision Making” and “Inside the Embassy.” The courses will be taught by Amb. Paula Dobriansky and Amb. Bill Taylor, respectively. The courses will not only include classroom instruction, but also hands-on learning with weekly site visits to embassies, the U.S. Senate, the State Department, and the White House/National Security Council.

The ACED scholars will also be placed in internships throughout the eight weeks where they will have the opportunity to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it in real world scenarios. This unique, invaluable experience will foster the next generation of civic leaders and act as a springboard to empower the scholars to launch their own leadership journey.

Last month, the ACED program hosted a kick-off event which drew many distinguished guests who were excitedly optimistic about this new partnership. Dr. Henry R. Nau, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at the Elliott School, gave remarks on behalf of Dean Alyssa Ayres and members of the Elliott School community.

The program will bring students and distinguished faculty to the Elliott School and will be entirely funded by RRI. Over 70 applicants have already applied to fill this summer’s 40 available seats. The program is slated to run each summer, at least through 2026.

“It’s an important opportunity to invite bipartisan dialogue in shaping the future foreign policy leaders of America. We are thrilled about this partnership with RRI and look forward to fostering a relationship with them to create future mentoring and internship opportunities for our students.”

Laila Sorurbakhsh, PhD, Assistant Dean of Academic Programs at The Elliott School of International Affairs

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024

Alumnus Utilizes Higher Education to Effect Local and Global Change

In honor of Black History Month, we caught up with Kyle Farmbry, ESIA BA ’92, GWSB MPA ’94, PhD ’99, to learn how GW and the Elliott School influenced his career in higher education.

Authored by: GW Alumni Association

GW: Tell us about what you are doing now and why it matters to you?

KF: I’m currently serving as the 10th President of Guilford College, a small liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. In my role, I am able to not only influence the lives of the college’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni, but also situate Guilford as an entity that can impact the greater community of Greensboro and the lives of people in communities around the world.

I think higher education institutions can have tremendous roles in societies. They can be places of innovation, social change, and economic enhancement. Being in this position as a college president has enabled me to reflect deeply on how my institution can build opportunities for Guilford students, faculty, and staff, as well as other people whose lives we touch.

GW: What drew you to GW and the Elliott School for college and later your graduate degrees?

KF: I was very interested in international development when I was a teenager. I had spent several years as a high school student volunteering for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, and actually had an opportunity to visit UNICEF, CARE, OXFAM, and Save the Children projects during the summer between graduating high school and my first year at GW. At the time, a university in the middle of Washington that was a few blocks from the State Department, the World Bank, the White House, and scores of organizations engaged in international development policy seemed like a natural place to go to school.

After finishing my undergraduate studies in the Elliott School, I had an opportunity to remain at GW and participate in the Presidential Administrative Fellows program, created by then-President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. Through this program, I was able to complete my master’s degree at GW. I then decided to continue with my Ph.D. studies, again at GW.

GW: How did GW and the Elliott School influence your professional choices and successes? Who helped you on your career path?

KF: GW and the Elliott School provided me with mentors who helped me to envision all of the possibilities that life might hold for me. I will always be grateful to people such as Ambassador Ronald Palmer (who taught at the school for a number of years), then-Dean Mickey East, President Trachtenberg, and so many others who I encountered during my time as an Elliott School student, for providing me with guidance and insight at different stages during my time at GW.

The most beneficial thing was that I was able to learn about international policy first-hand – both in and out of the classroom. Many of the most impactful professors were those who were working closely with institutions making some form of difference in the world. They were professors who weren’t just studying international development, but were also engaged in international and broader policy-making activities. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the larger DC international studies community myself. Truly an #OnlyatGW experience, though we didn’t call it that back then.

Kyle Farmbry with Guilford students at a Greensboro Grasshoppers game.

GW: How has diversity and inclusion impacted or influenced your career? How can alumni promote DEI and DEI efforts?

KF: I firmly believe in finding ways to create opportunities for others – particularly when people are from communities where there have historically been limited opportunities. If we have enough people thinking strategically about how they can open doors, and in doing so, build toward institutions that reflect the demographics of the nation, then I think we will see the changes that we need for achieving a more equitable society. I really believe facilitating such equity should be part of everyone’s aspirational goals.

GW: What would you say to current GW students who want to make a positive difference in the world?

KF: Just get started. Take advantage of the time you have in DC and at GW to make a difference and get involved. Study abroad. Get an amazing internship. Then get another amazing internship. Develop an innovative idea for addressing a major problem in the world, then find a way to implement that idea. GW provides so many opportunities for its students – far more than many other colleges and universities – to be part of the GW community, and the Elliott community is such an exciting opportunity. Appreciate every single moment that this opportunity presents you.