The Institute of Public Diplomacy and Global Communication is generously supported by the Walter Roberts Endowment. Established in 2005 by Dr. Walter R. Roberts, former associate director of the U.S. Information Agency and distinguished figure in U.S. public diplomacy, the endowment supports activities, programming, and scholarship for the study of public diplomacy at The George Washington University.
In 2010, Mark Taplin, the then Public Diplomacy Fellow with the Institute, conducted several interviews with Dr. Roberts who shared insights from his youth in wartime Germany through to his storied career as a practitioner and scholar of public diplomacy.
On June 29, 2014, Dr. Roberts died at the age of 97. The Institute will forever remember the man who pioneered U.S. public diplomacy through his generous endowment and its supported activities.
Supporting the Walter Roberts Endowment 2023-24
Walter Roberts Endowment Strategy Map
Mission
The Walter R Roberts Endowment (WRE) seeks to inspire public diplomacy best practices around the world. Its goal is to expand the universe of public diplomacy practitioners through activities which blend theory and practice, enable dialogue among people from different backgrounds and institutions, and increase awareness of the importance of public diplomacy.
Long Term Goal: Promote the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) as a recognized center of excellence in public diplomacy.
Short Term Goal: Increase the size of the endowment to further WRE’s mission.
Governance Principles
Board: Ranging from seven to eleven members including at least one member of the Roberts family, the Walter Roberts Advisory Committee (new name for WRE Board) meets at least twice annually to discuss policy, strategies, and future programs using WRE funds. The fund’s annual income, in accordance with the University’s endowment policy, will be spent in consultation with the director of IPDGC and the Walter Roberts Endowment Board (from original MOU).
