The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication
At the Elliott School of International Affairs and the School of Media & Public Affairs
The new academic year begins today at the George Washington University.
IPDGC is happy to welcome the new graduate students joining our cohort in the MA program in Global Communications at the Elliott School for International Affairs. We look forward to the fall semester!
The Walter Roberts Endowment and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) are proud to announce that Global Communication graduates Saiansha Panangipalli and Halea Kerr-Layton are the joint recipients of the Walter Roberts Award for Public Diplomacy Studies for 2021.
Each year, the Walter Roberts Endowment recognizes a GW graduate student who shows exemplary performance in public diplomacy studies and has aspirations for a future career in this field. This year, we recognize two exceptional students.
Both Ms. Panangipalli and Ms. Kerr-Layton have demonstrated their passion for public diplomacy with internships at diplomatic missions and non-profits; working to advance government relationships and strengthening ties with foreign publics through educational and professional exchanges, and other programs.
Ms. Panangipalli used her brilliant writing and strategic planning skills at her internships with the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., the Moroccan Embassy in New Delhi, and at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the kind of work that exemplifies the spirit and intention of the Walter Roberts Award.
I aim for a career with opportunities to widen my exposure to countries and cultures, adapt to new cultural and historical constraints, and tell stories that inform and engage audiences across borders.
— Saiansha Panangipalli
Ms. Kerr-Layton demonstrated her outstanding leadership as a GW Presidential Fellow and in roles ranging from Strategic Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at Sustainable GW to Billingual Storytelling Associate at DC public school Mundo Verde. She was able to put into practice her public diplomacy skills working as an intern with Global Ties US, the oldest non-profit citizen diplomacy organization, last summer.
I have worked to advance the values of integrity, inclusion, diversity, and justice as I believe they are a foundation for cultural expression and community engagement. I choose to specialize in Public Diplomacy to master the skill of strategic communication in our contemporary world to create enduring change.
– Halea Kerr-Layton
Last year’s winner was Chaniqua Nelson, Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. State Department.
The 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture featured a virtual panel comprising of Richard A. Stengel, former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2014-2016), Amanda Bennett, former director of the Voice of America (2016-2020), and Professor Nicholas Cull, historian, and professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in California.
The discussion addressed the question of what the U.S. could do to protect global media freedoms and also how should the U.S. international broadcasting agencies be organized to address this challenge.
Our distinguished Panel:
Here is the recording of the event:
On March 25, the Walter Roberts Endowment announced the submission period for the WRE summer internship grants and the Walter Roberts Public Diplomacy Studies for 2nd-year graduate students at the Elliott School of International Affairs.
Here are three internship opportunities – that, for the successful applicant – will be supported by the WRE summer internship grants.
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Online Engagement Assistant (IPDGC)
The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) is looking for a summer intern to help with IPDGC’s online engagement over the summer. The main focus will be on the different tasks that relate to the Public Diplomacy Examined (PDx) podcasts, which include the following responsibilities:
Useful to know: Adobe Audition, Zoom online meeting app, Soundcloud and other podcast hosting sites, apps for promotion (social media). Flexibility, creativity, and the ability to meet deadlines are desired. The position will work with the IPDGC Program Coordinator for supervision and guidance.
For the IPDGC application, please send:
All materials to ipdgc@gwu.edu
Global Ties U.S. has two internship positions for Summer 2021 and applicants for the summer internship grant may apply for this position.
As a nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of State, Global Ties U.S. sustains a network that coordinates international exchange programs and brings current and future leaders from around the world to communities throughout the United States. We provide our members—from large, national organizations to smaller, community-based ones serving all 50 states and more than 20 countries—with connections, leadership development, and professional resources, so that they are the strongest, most effective organizations they can be.
Global Ties U.S. is seeking an intern to support our involvement in the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The intern will work closely with the Program Manager, Youth Ambassadors, the Program Manager, Cultural Programming, and the Program Associate, Logistics and Administration.
This internship is best suited for a highly motivated individual, who
Prior internship experience in an office setting is preferred.
Global Ties U.S. offers interns a robust internship program. We value personal and professional growth and thus offer multiple professional development activities for interns scheduled throughout the semester.
This internship is a remote internship.
Global Ties U.S. is seeking a Membership and Development intern to support our operations. The intern will report to the Associate Director, Development, on projects and activities related to Global Ties U.S.’ fundraising and donor relations. For membership-related tasks, the intern will work closely with the Senior Program Associate for Membership & Grants.
Prior internship experience in an office setting is preferred. This internship is a remote internship.
This internship is best suited for a highly motivated individual, who
Tasks during this internship may include:
The internship offers an opportunity to gain experience in nonprofit development by ways of engaging in a small but growing fundraising program, gaining experience in membership and donor relations, prospect research, member and donor management systems, major gifts strategy, data analysis and reporting, and key stakeholder communications.
Global Ties U.S. offers interns a robust internship program. We value personal and professional growth and thus offer multiple professional development activities for interns scheduled throughout the semester.
For both Global Ties applications, please send:
We also encourage interested students to apply for their own internships. For complete information on the 2021 WRE internship grants.
The deadline for submission for the Internship Grant is SATURDAY, MAY 1 by 11:59 pm EST
Inquiries on the 2021 Walter Roberts summer internship grants, please write to ipdgc@gwu.edu
March 8, 2021
Dear Friend,
The Walter Roberts Endowment was established 14 years ago with generous contributions from Dr. Roberts and the Roberts family to educate students, recognize leadership, and disseminate best practices in public diplomacy.
Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, the endowment has assisted in funding activities of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) at the George Washington University (GWU). This past year, recognizing the challenge students have faced during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Endowment funded summer internships for graduate and undergraduate students related to public diplomacy. We also are proud to have hosted…. As the speaker for our annual Walter Robert’s Lecture. Past speakers have included Joseph Nye, Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution, Ambassador Bruce Wharton (ret.), Ambassador Michael McFaul (ret.) of Stanford University, and many others.
The Endowment has also made possible awards to students in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Elliott School of International Affairs. You can read more about the student awards here.
The Endowment funds IPDGC’s Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy, which honors members of Congress who have been consistently supportive of public diplomacy throughout their careers. These awards support public diplomacy micro-projects in institutions situated in the member’s state or congressional district. This year’s recipient is Senator Boozman of Arkansas for his support of the Fulbright program. Past recipients have been Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (New York). The Endowment also awarded small grants in the recipients’ names to the University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace, and Society, the Vermont Council on World Affairs, Battery Dance company (NYC), and Global Ties Arkansas.
Finally, we seek your assistance and support in our effort to increase the size of the Endowment to allow us to provide funded internships for undergraduate and graduate students, and grants to graduate students who could not otherwise afford to study public diplomacy at GWU.
We encourage you to join with the Roberts family in continuing to support the vital public diplomacy outreach work that the Endowment underwrites. Your support will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patricia Kabra
Chair
Walter Roberts Endowment Advisory Committee
IPDGC will host a virtual webinar on the Global Pandemic and Press Freedom in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, February 23 from 5:30pm-6:30pm.
As the regional governments struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, some of the more authoritarian regimes are imposing stricter restrictions to stop misinformation and have also taken this opportunity to rein in the media in their countries. Our panel will share their views and experiences of what has been happening in the region.
The panel will have Dr. James Gomez, Executive Director of Asia Center, Thailand; Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Assistant Professor with University of Nottingham, Malaysia; and Adrian Ayalin, Senior Journalist with ABS-CBN News in the Philippines.
The event will be moderated by Dr. Janet Steele, Director of IPDGC. There will be a short Q&A session following the presentations.
A Zoom link to the event will be sent following registration.
