WR Congressional Award – Page 2 – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

November 25, 2019July 7, 2022

Support #publicdiplomacy

Dear Friend,

Thirteen years ago, the Walter Roberts Endowment was established with generous contributions from Dr. Roberts and the Roberts family. The Endowment was to ensure continued support for public diplomacy through higher learning and research, recognition of leadership and shared best PD practices.

The Endowment has assisted in funding activities of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) at the George Washington University.

The Annual Walter Roberts Lecture for 2020 will feature Dr. Joseph S. Nye, who, 30 years ago, originated the term “soft power” in describing the persuasive approach in U.S. foreign policy. The Lecture will be held on January 30, 2020, at the Elliott School for International Affairs.

The Endowment continues to support IPDGC’s Walter Roberts 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.

The Endowment also encourages GW graduate students to excel in public diplomacy studies. Hence, to move ahead, we are trying to increase the size of the Endowment to allow us to provide grants to graduate students who could not otherwise afford to study public diplomacy at GW.

We encourage you to join with the Roberts family in continuing to support the vital public diplomacy outreach work that the Endowment underwrites.

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November 22, 2019July 7, 2022

Updates on IPDGC’S Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy

In 2018 and 2019, IPDGC recognized two U.S. senators for their unwavering support for public diplomacy work with the Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy. To further honor the recipients of this award, small grants were given to organizations in their home states for micro-projects reflecting the essence of public diplomacy – exchanges, outreach, engagement.

The University of Tennessee’s Center for Sports, Peace and Society (CSPS) and Vermont Council of World Affairs (VCWA) were the grantees for those respective years. The directors of both organizations have enthusiastically shared how the grants provided opportunity to have follow-up projects for the work they already do.

CSPS Director Dr. Sarah Hilyer was able to visit Iraq to conduct a first-ever mother-daughter basketball clinic for the partner organization, Zhima. CSPS and Zhima have a years-long supportive relationship; building sports and life skills of young girls in the city of Sulaymaniyah. Learn more.

Lady Vols basketballs at the Pat Summitt movie premiere – “Legacy of Love”.

VCWA Director Patricia Preston said that having a “reverse-exchange” program allowed their organization to return to Tanzania and reinforce the positive messages of the initial leadership program that brought visitors from Pan-African nations to Vermont.

Breakout session at the Changemakers 2019 Summit in Tanzania.

In the upcoming year, IPDGC plans to recognize another representative who has ensured that America’s values, vision, and ideas are shared with the rest of the world through public diplomacy efforts.

As IPDGC’s Director Janet Steele notes, “The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication created this award for congressional leadership in public diplomacy because we wanted to highlight something that for many Americans is invisible.” It is through the Award Recipients’ active participation, advocacy, and legislative support, that America’s story is shared with the world.

May 8, 2018July 7, 2022

Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) Receives Inaugural Walter Roberts Award

Sen. Bob Corker accepts the Walter Roberts Award from GW IPDGC Director Janet Steele.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday received the George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication’s first annual Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy at a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

“Through my role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have had the opportunity to travel across the globe and see the positive impact that our nation has on the world,” Sen. Corker said at a ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“No matter the challenges we may face here at home, I am always reminded that we live in the greatest country on Earth, and that millions around the world strive to emulate us,” he said. “Telling that story and serving in this capacity has been an incredible privilege, and I thank George Washington University for this honor and for promoting public diplomacy that advances American interests abroad.”

Janet Steele, director of GW’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC), said the award was created for congressional leadership in public diplomacy to shed light on something that is invisible to many Americans.

“They may know of the Fulbright program or be aware of Voice of America, but it’s been my experience that the majority of Americans have no idea what public diplomacy even is, let alone how the programs that are carried out in their name provide direct benefits to the United States,” Dr. Steele said.

“As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Corker has been a consistent supporter of U.S. public diplomacy, recognizing the impact that U.S. leadership and diplomacy abroad can have on our own economy and national security,” she said.

Sen. Corker is in his second term in the Senate. He is also a member of the Banking Committee and the Budget Committee. He was Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga before being elected to the Senate in 2006. He had spent most of his adult life in business.

He has visited more than 70 countries since taking office to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic relationships between the U.S. and other nations.

Once elected chairman in 2015, Sen. Corker quickly worked to build the committee’s emerging reputation for developing bipartisan consensus on major issues and reasserting the committee’s traditional role in foreign policy.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, Broadcasting Board of Governors CEO John Lansing and University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace and Security Director Sarah Hillyer also spoke at the event about the importance of American public diplomacy.