# Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

The Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs (formerly the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs) is a professional school of Yale University that specializes in global affairs. Established in 2022, it is Yale's newest professional school.
Based in New Haven, Connecticut, the school's mission is to "inspire and prepare Yale students for global leadership and service." It was established in 2010 and offers degrees for both undergraduate and graduate levels and includes the following programs: the Kerry Initiative, the Global Health Studies Program, the Yale World Fellows, and the Leitner Program on Effective Democratic Governance. It also hosts the Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy. As of 2022, the school is led by dean James A. Levinsohn, Charles W. Goodyear Professor in Global Affairs. The Jackson Institute transitioned to a professional school in 2022. It is the first new Yale professional school created since 1976.

## Office

The Jackson School of Global Affairs is located in Horchow Hall on New Haven's historic Hillhouse Avenue. The building formerly housed the Yale School of Management.

## Academics

The school offers degrees for both undergraduate, graduate, and mid-career professionals.
Freshman to Yale College can apply under a competitive admission to be considered for the Global Affairs major, where around 60 students per class are selected. The major provides an interdisciplinary curriculum to supply students with social science research tools to solve global issues. A requirement of the major is the Capstone Course, undertaken in the fall of senior year, which students complete a project on behalf of a real client and under supervision of a faculty member; this replaces the traditional senior thesis completed by other Yale seniors.
Graduate students can apply for a Master's in Global Affairs, where around 25 - 30 students are selected. Each student undertakes their own individualized course selection, allowing them to study from Yale faculty for all disciplines; in addition, students can also listen to seminars provided by Senior Fellows. The degree is different from one offered by most other similar institutions, in which it prepares students for a professional environment, rather than an academic one.
Created in 2013, the Master of Advanced Study in Global Affairs is a one-year program for mid-career professionals, which enrolls only around a few students each year. The program is centered for those with at least seven years of professional experience in global affairs. The degree functions as a multi-disciplinary, rigorous academic program.

## Foundation and history

In April 2009, Yale announced it had received a $50 million gift to create the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. In the fall of 2010, the university officially opened the institute in Rosenkranz Hall. The donation came from ex-pharmaceutical businessman and philanthropist John Jackson, a 1967 graduate of Yale College, and his wife, Susan. Jackson said he originally intended to become a diplomat when entering Yale, like his great-grandfather. Regarding the gift, Jackson stated, "We hope to inspire students to pursue careers in diplomacy and public service and to become globally engaged leaders in all walks of life." Yale President Richard Levin added, "The Jackson Institute will become a signature program, marking Yale's global aspirations. Its teaching programs will permeate the University, expanding the curriculum in international affairs so that students in all its schools are better prepared for global leadership and service."
In 2010, shortly after the institute opened, Yale College faculty introduced the Global Affairs major, replacing the previous international studies major. While the international studies major could only be completed as a second major, the Global Affairs could be completed as a standalone major.
On April 6, 2019, Yale President Peter Salovey formally announced to the Yale community that the Jackson Institute will transform itself to the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs by 2022. The announcement came after a decision by the Yale Corporation. This decision stemmed from a report of a committee chaired by Professor Judith Chevalier, William S. Beinecke Professor of Economics and Finance at the Yale School of Management, who recommended the formation of a school of global affairs in a report made public in November 2018.

## Programs and centers

As of 2024, the list includes:
* Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program
* Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment
* The Deitz Family Initiative on Environment and Global Affairs
* International Leadership Center
* Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy
* Leitner Program on Effective Democratic Governance
* Peacebuilding initiative
* Schmidt Program on Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and National Power
* Social Innovation Initiative

## Senior Fellows

A key component of the Jackson Institute is its Senior Fellows, which the Jackson Institute describes as, "leading practitioners in government, business, international organizations, the NGO community, and other global affairs fields." Senior Fellows spend either a semester or full academic year at Yale teaching and mentoring students, although some continue to serve for multiple years.
The following table includes current and former Senior Fellows:
| Name | Years | Notability |
| Richard Danzig | 2010-2012 | 71st Secretary of the Navy |
| Richard Goldstone | 2010-2012 | international justice and human rights expert, chaired the Goldstone Commission |
| Linda Jewell | 2010-2011 | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat |
| Flynt Leverett | 2010-2011 | senior director for Middle East affairs on the National Security Council |
| Mario Mancuso | 2010-2011 2012–2013 | national security and foreign affairs expert |
| Hillary Mann Leverett | 2010-2011 | Middle East analyst and former State Department and National Security Council official |
| Stanley A. McChrystal | 2010-Current | retired U.S. Army general, commander of Joint Special Operations Command during mid-2000s. |
| Rakesh Mohan | 2010-2013 2016–2020 | Indian economist and former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India |
| Marwan Muasher | 2010-2011 | Jordanian diplomat, politician who served as Jordan's foreign minister and deputy prime minister |
| Stephen S. Roach | 2010-Current | former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia and chief economist at Morgan Stanley |
| Paul E. Simons | 2010-2011 2020–2021 | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat |
| R. James Woolsey Jr. | 2010-2011 | national security and energy expert, former Director of the CIA |
| Domingo Cavallo | 2010-2011 2012–2013 | Argentine economist and politician, known for implementing the Convertibility plan |
| Alexander Evans | 2011-2013 | career diplomat, counselor in the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office with expertise on South Asia |
| Thomas Graham | 2011-2017 | Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia on the National Security Council staff, expert on Russia and Eurasia affairs |
| Graeme Lamb | 2011-2013 | former Commander of the Field Army at Land Command, known for contributions to counter-insurgency |
| Michele Malvesti | 2011-2015 | served on the National Security Council staff, professional in the Intelligence Community |
| Ana Palacio | 2011-2012 | first woman to serve as minister of Spain's foreign affairs, member of the European Parliament |
| Manuel Pinho | 2011-2012 | former Portugal Minister of Economy and Innovation and former member of Portuguese parliament |
| Sheryl WuDunn | 2011-2012 | former journalist and business executive at The New York Times and first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize |
| David Brooks | 2012-2018 | columnist for The New York Times, political and cultural commentator, best-selling author |
| Ryan Crocker | 2012-2013 2018–2019 | six-time U.S. ambassador and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Marc Grossman | 2012-2014 | U.S. ambassador, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, former U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Emma Sky | 2012-Current | British expert on conflict, reconciliation and stability; Middle East advisor and expert |
| James Wolfensohn | 2012-2013 | economist, banker, former President of the World Bank |
| Eric Braverman | 2013-Current | chief business executive, former consultant at McKinsey & Company, former CEO of the Clinton Foundation |
| Nathaniel Keohane | 2013-2014 | environmental economist, vice-president for international climate at the Environmental Defense Fund |
| Luis Moreno-Ocampo | 2013-2015 | first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court |
| Johnnie Carson | 2014-2016 | U.S. ambassador, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs |
| Howard Dean | 2014-Current | former DNC chairman, candidate for the 2004 presidential election, six-term Vermont Governor, creator of the fifty-state strategy |
| Unni Karunakara | 2014-2017 | former international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) |
| Richard Levin | 2014-Current | senior advisor and former CEO of Coursea, former president of Yale University, economist |
| Clare Lockhart | 2014-Current | director and co-founder of the Institute for State Effectiveness, advisor to the UN |
| Jacob Sullivan | 2014-2015 | National Security Advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, senior policy adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, former Director of Policy Planning |
| Sigridur Benediktsdottir | 2015-2017 | former director of the Financial Stability Department at the Central Bank of Iceland, Yale economics' professor |
| Rosemary DiCarlo | 2015-2018 | former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for the UN |
| Robert Ford | 2015-2021 | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat |
| John Negroponte | 2015-2016 | former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, first Director of National Intelligence |
| Matthew Spence | 2015-2016 | former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy |
| Wayne Swan | 2015-2016 | Australian politician, National President of the Labor Party, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, former Treasurer of Australia |
| Blair Miller | 2016-2021 | venture investor, advisor on talent and impact investing |
| John Jenkins | 2016-2018 | executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies — Middle East, British career diplomat |
| Dennis Ross | 2016-2017 | American diplomat, former Director of Policy Planning, former special Middle East coordinator, former special advisor for the Middle East region |
| Roz Savage | 2016-2017 | world's foremost female ocean rower, Guinness World Record holder for ocean rowing, environmental advocate |
| Elain Dezenski | 2017-2018 | CEO of an international risk advisory, former executive leadership positions at the World Economic Forum, Interpol, and U.S. government |
| Russ Feingold | 2017-2018 | American politician, former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, former Wisconsin State Senator, U.S. Special Envoy |
| John Kerry | 2017-Current | U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Democratic Party candidate for the 2004 presidential election |
| Charles MacCormack | 2017-2018 | former president of Save the Children, vice-chair of the Millennium Development Goal Health Alliance, senior fellow for NGO Futures at Interaction |
| Anne Patterson | 2017-2018 | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat, Foreign Service Officer |
| Susan Biniaz | 2018-Current | former Deputy Legal Advisor at the U.S. State Department, lead climate lawyer and negotiator for U.S. government |
| Janine di Giovanni | 2018-Current | award-winning nonfiction author, journalist, war correspondent, expert analyst on the Middle East, the Balkans, and Africa, among other topics |
| George Packer | 2018-2019 | staff writer for The New Yorker, award-winning nonfiction author |
| David Rank | 2018-Current | U.S. ambassador, leading career diplomat at the State Department |
| Gov. Bill Richardson | 2018-2019 | former governor of New Mexico, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, former Secretary of Energy, U.S. Congressman, former chairman of the DNC, former chairman of the DGA |
| Harry K. Thomas Jr. | 2018-Current | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat |
| Margaret Warner | 2018-2019 | former Chief Global Affairs Correspondent for PBS NewsHour, news reporter |
| Colin Coleman | 2019-Current | former CEO of Goldman Sachs for Sub-Saharan Africa, expert on economic and political issues in South Africa |
| Chris Fussell | 2019-Current | partner at McChrystal Group, former officer in the Navy SEALs |
| Vanessa Kerry | 2019-Current | co-founder and the CEO of Seed Global Health, daughter of John Kerry |
| Francisco (Paco) Palmieri | 2019-Current | former Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs |
| John Podesta | 2019-Current | Counselor to President Barack Obama, former White House Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign |
| Rory Stewart | 2020-2022 | former Secretary of State for International Development, multiple roles in Ministerial offices in the UK government |
| Ross Douthat | 2020-2021 | op-ed columnist for The New York Times, former senior editor at The Atlantic, conservative political analyst |
| Bill Morneau | 2021-Current | former Canadian Minister of Finance, executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, candidate for Canada's Secretary-General of OECD |
| David H. Petraeus | 2021-Current | former Director of the CIA, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force, former Commander of United States Central Command |
| Shoshana Stewart | 2021-Current | CEO of Turquoise Mountain, an international NGO working to revive historic neighborhoods and traditional crafts |
| Bisa Williams | 2021-Current | U.S. ambassador, career diplomat |