As we approach the fifth year of our new identity as the MacMillan Center, the progress that has been accomplished is remarkable. We have seen a dramatic expansion in all areas of Yale’s effort to extend its global reach, including the volume of international courses offered, the number of international research and internship opportunities, and the breadth and depth of internationalists who come to the university to share their knowledge.
Rosenkranz Hall, the newest academic building to grace Yale’s campus, was officially dedicated on Friday, October 23, at a ceremony that brought together some 125 faculty, administrators, students, and guests to recognize Yale benefactors Robert Rosenkranz ’62 and his wife, Alexandra Munroe, for whom the building is named. Rosenkranz Hall provides a spacious home for the Political Science Department, the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, and other programs of the MacMillan Center.
The Jackson Institute for Global Affairs is another exciting multi-faceted enterprise. Since the announcement of its creation this past April, great strides have been made in developing its programs and courses, which will bolster Yale’s status as a leader in the study of international affairs and diplomacy. We have recruited Professor James Levinsohn, an expert in international economics, development economics and industrial organization. He officially takes on the role of Director in January 2010.
The growth of the India Initiative over the past year has enabled Yale to offer more than twenty new courses in Yale College, which significantly increases opportunities for the study of South Asia in various departments across the University. The India Initiative has also launched the Modern South Asia Workshop, a conference aimed to foster sustained interdisciplinary exchange among new scholars; the South Asian Colloquium, a weekly speaker series for both students and professors; and language pedagogy workshops and research consultations for Hindi and Tamil scholars. Three new professorships have been created and searches are either under way or are imminent.
The developments reported in this newsletter are truly exciting, and will have long lasting consequences for Yale. I anticipate further advances at the MacMillan Center in the coming year, and I look forward to detailing them for you in future issues.
Best wishes to you and yours for a very happy holiday season!
— Ian Shapiro, Henry R. Luce Director