Jackson Institute of Global Affairs incorporates two new programs
Jackson Institute for Global Affairs to house centers for international security and leadership
Yasmine Halmane, Staff Photographer
On October 1, the University’s International Security Studies, or ISS, program and the newly established International Leadership Center, or ILC, will join the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs as the two newest additions to the emerging professional school.
The ISS program, which was established in 1988 by history professor Paul Kennedy and used to be an independent program, is now coming under the banner of the Jackson Institute. The ILC, however, was especially developed this year within Jackson to house both the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program and the Petraeus-Recanati-Kaplan Fellowship. These new changes and additions mark one stage in the Jackson Institute’s transformation into Yale’s newest professional school, which is expected to conclude in fall of 2022.
“I am thrilled that ISS will become part of Jackson, effective Oct. 1,” Director of the Jackson Institute Jim Levinsohn wrote in an email to the News. “As we build out the framework for the new School, it’s important to keep our eye on both the teaching and research missions of the new School. The Jackson School will focus on four key areas — International Security and Diplomacy; International Economics; Social, Political, and Economic Development, and Global Public Goods. ISS will play a key role in the first of these.”
The International Security Studies program was established to connect faculty studying international security in history and political science. In the 1990s, the program served as the host institution for the Academic Center for United Nations Studies. In 2000, ISS established the Grand Strategy Program, which is currently the independent Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy.
“It is an honor to partner with ISS Director Arne Westad and Founding Director Paul Kennedy to support this enhanced focus on International Security Studies at Jackson,” Executive Director of ISS Ted Wittenstein told the News. “Given the complexity of threats to global security, it is so important to analyze these challenges from multiple vantage points and perspectives. ISS convenes scholars and practitioners, supports teaching and research across academic disciplines, and mentors and inspires the next generation of student leaders passionate about security studies.”
The ILC program has a less extensive history. Established this year, it will bring together two Jackson programs under a single umbrella organization. Global Affairs lecturer Emma Sky will head up the International Leadership Center.
The World Fellows program is a leadership development and training program that brings global professionals to Yale’s campus to further their own academic and professional enrichment while contributing mentoring, teaching and research to the Yale community. The Petraeus-Recanati-Kaplan Fellowship brings special military operators to Yale to develop their understanding of global affairs. The fellows graduate with a one-year Masters of Advanced Study in Global Affairs.
“By bringing existing leadership programs together, we will be able to realize synergies across programs,” Levinsohn wrote about the ILC. “And with the mandate to grow new leadership programs, Prof. Sky is sure to build out other creative and impactful programs that will extend Jackson’s, and Yale’s, impact into new areas.”
Westad, who will serve as the director of ISS, said that one of his goals in the coming year is to bring in faculty who might not have traditionally been involved with the program, but whose expertise is closely linked to issues of international security.
Wittenstein added that the shift towards nontraditional security issues is a “natural one.”
“The pandemic is highlighting a lot of what used to be considered non-traditional or softer security issues [which] really are central to security studies,” Wittenstein said. “And so I think that is an important direction for ISS.”
He pointed to one of the newest ISS-affiliated faculty members — professor of anthropology, health and global affairs Catherine Panter-Brick — as an example of someone who studies nontraditional security issues but who will be involved in the ISS.
Reflecting on the broader implications of incorporating the programs into Jackson, Westad said that he thinks that the ISS will help to push the Jackson Institute towards more research and engagement with undergraduates outside of the institute.
Levinsohn echoed Westad’s sentiments, expressing hope for the future of the Jackson Institute with these new additions.
“We’re quickly realizing that an old adage is actually true,” Levinsohn wrote to the News. “The sum really is greater than its parts. For example, we’ve seen how bringing the Greenberg World Fellows Program to Jackson has led to some pretty cool opportunities for Jackson’s undergrads and grad students. I am confident we’ll see a lot more of that sort of synergy in the near future.”
The World Fellows program was established in 2002.
