IPDGC – Page 7 – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

March 31, 2022April 23, 2024

IPDGC recognizes Connecticut senator for his support of US public diplomacy

2022 Walter Roberts Congressional award given to Sen. Chris Murphy

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

Sen. Chris Murphy with the award plaque recognizing his outstanding contributions to Public Diplomacy through his active participation, advocacy, and legislative support for telling America’s story to the world.

United States Senator Chris Murphy, Connecticut’s junior senator, on Wednesday received the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication’s (IPDGC) annual Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy. William Youmans, director of GW’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, also announced a $5000 grant from the Walter Roberts Endowment to the World Affairs Council of Connecticut to support a program that will highlight the benefits of public diplomacy to the local community.

Senior Official for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Jennifer Hall Godfrey, U.S. Agency for Global Media Acting CEO Kelu Chao, and World Affairs Council of Connecticut CEO Megan Torrey also spoke at the event about the importance of American public diplomacy.

“The array of challenges the world faces today are often immune to military hegemony,” Murphy said. “Misinformation campaigns, creeping corruption, pandemic disease, and climate change cannot be combatted by tanks and planes. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, my priority is making sure we invest in smart power and lift up diplomacy to help us tackle the challenges we face in the 21st century. I’m grateful and honored to accept this award from the George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication and am pleased the World Affairs Council of Connecticut will receive a $5,000 grant to support their important work.”

“The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication created this award for congressional leadership in public diplomacy because we want to celebrate support for this country’s efforts to communicate with the rest of world,” Youmans said.

“Sen. Murphy has been a leader in strengthening U.S. public diplomacy’s engagement with foreign audiences through times of challenge and opportunity. He has consistently provided a Congressional vision for the amplification of America’s story overseas.”

Murphy, the junior United States Senator for Connecticut, has dedicated his career to public service as an advocate for Connecticut families. He has been a strong voice in the Senate fighting for job creation, affordable health care, education, sensible gun laws, and a forward-looking foreign policy. First elected to the Senate in 2012, he serves on several committees in the 117th Congress, including Appropriations; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Foreign Relations; and Democratic Steering and Outreach.

The grant to the World Affairs Council of Connecticut will be used to highlight the importance of public diplomacy to American communities.

Release issued by GW Media Relations on March 30, 2022.
For more information, please contact:
Tim Pierce (GW): tpie@gwu.edu
Rebecca Drago (Murphy): Rebecca_Drago@murphy.senate.gov

March 24, 2022November 5, 2022

Open for submissions: 2022 Student Award for Public Diplomacy Studies

GW graduate students in international affairs encouraged to apply

The Walter Roberts Endowment (WRE) is happy to announce that the submissions period is open for the student award for Public Diplomacy Studies for 2^nd year graduate students at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Since 2011, the Endowment has awarded the Walter Roberts Public Diplomacy Studies Award to a graduating student from the Master’s programs at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs, for academic excellence and professional aspirations in public diplomacy. The Award is recognized at the Commencement ceremony of the Elliott School and offers a $1000 prize to the successful student.

All applicants must be enrolled as full-time second-year students in graduate programs at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

The deadline for submission for the Student Award is Wednesday, April 6 by 11:59 pm EST

Applicants of this award need to provide:

A resume
A 500-word essay on your goals for pursuing further studies or careers based on your PD courses.
A short email/ letter of support from a GWU professor sent directly to ipdgc@gwu.edu

(Subject: NAME OF STUDENT: “PD Studies Award 2021” or “Summer Internship grant”)

Please email the submission materials, or any questions, to IPDGC@gwu.edu

January 24, 2022April 23, 2024

C-SPAN spotlights 2021-22 Walter Roberts Lecture “Nothing is Impossible”

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

Retired U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius was recently featured on C-SPAN’s Book TV, talking about the reconciliation process between the U.S. and Vietnam, which began in the early 1990s.

Amb. Osius was the speaker at the 2021-22 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture last fall. His book, Nothing Is Impossible, offers a vivid account of the diplomatic work that made this reconciliation possible. He speaks to the leaders who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future for the two countries.

Here is C-SPAN’s Book TV video:

January 6, 2022April 23, 2024

Happy New Year!

The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication wishes all the best for 2022!

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

This year we warmly welcome IPDGC’s new director, Dr. William Youmans. Dr. Youmans is an associate professor at the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. His area of expertise is media law and global communications, Middle Eastern politics and society; social movements, and Arab-American studies. More information on Dr. Youmans can be found here.

Through the hybrid work environment of 2021, IPDGC was able to organize virtual events such as the Walter Roberts Endowment Annual Lecture, present the 2021 Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy, and host a Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship program for 15 media professionals from Eastern and Central Europe.

For 2022, IPDGC, with the Walter Roberts Endowment, will continue to support public diplomacy excellence in academia and for career professionals. If you would like to know more about our other activities, please go here.

And you can always support our public diplomacy activities here.

November 22, 2021November 5, 2022

Walter R Roberts Endowment seeks your support

November 2021

Dear Friend,

The Walter Roberts Endowment was established by Dr. Walter R. Roberts and his 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 supported dozens of students interested in public diplomacy and has assisted in funding related activities of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) at the George Washington University (GW).

Every year, we host speakers at our annual Walter Robert’s Lectures: Dr. Joseph Nye, Dr. Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution, Ambassador Bruce Wharton (ret.), Ambassador Michael McFaul (ret.) of Stanford University, and many others. This year’s speaker was Ambassador Ted Osius (ret.) who spoke regarding the journey of reconciliation between the U.S. and Vietnam and the importance of “people-to-people” diplomacy. The 2021-22 Walter Roberts Lecture can be viewed here.

The Endowment also 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. The 2020-2021 recipient was Senator John Boozman of Arkansas in recognition for his support of the Fulbright program. The award ceremony can be viewed here. Past recipients have been Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-17). The Endowment provided 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 in New York, and Global Ties Arkansas.

We seek your assistance and support in our efforts to provide funded internships for undergraduate and graduate students, and grants to graduate students who could not otherwise afford to study public diplomacy at GW. Over the past 2 years, recognizing the challenge students have faced during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Endowment funded summer internships in public diplomacy for graduate and undergraduate students.

You can see the full range of our programs by visiting the IPDGC website at ipdgc.gwu.edu.

We hope that you will join us in this worthy endeavor to further the awareness of the importance of public diplomacy. The invitation to contribute to the Endowment begins with a click on the DONATE NOW button that follows this letter.

Sincerely,

Patricia Kabra, PhD

Chair, Walter R. Roberts Endowment

Advisory Committee

Janet Steele, PhD

Director of IPDGC and Professor,

School of Media and Public Affairs

DONATE NOW

October 7, 2021April 23, 2024

2021-22 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture

Nothing is Impossible: The diplomatic journey towards reconciliation

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

The Walter Roberts Lecture will feature Ambassador (retired) Ted Osius who will speak about U.S.- Vietnam relations; how a relationship fraught with tensions following a painful war that cost nearly 60,000 American and over two million Vietnamese lives, was able to reach reconciliation after a 20-year journey of daring diplomacy. Amb. Osius was U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the Obama administration. His recent book, Nothing Is Impossible, offers a vivid account of the diplomatic work that made this reconciliation possible. He speaks to the leaders who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future for the two countries. Amb. Osius also draws upon his own experiences of working first-hand with various Vietnamese leaders, and also traveling the country on bicycle to spotlight the ordinary Vietnamese people who helped bring about their nation’s extraordinary renaissance.

Dean Alyssa Ayres, dean of the GW Elliott School of International Affairs will deliver introductory remarks.

Dr. Janet Steele (right), director of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, will moderate the discussion and Q&A session with Amb. Osius.

A reception will follow.

Please, join us for this free event.

2021-22 Walter Roberts Lecture

Tuesday, October 26
6pm -7:30pm (ET)
City View Room, Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St NW, Washington DC 20052

RSVP to attend in-person

RSVP to attend on Zoom