This fall semester has been a particularly busy one at the MacMillan Center. Several political luminaries visited campus to present lectures. In September, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission of the European Union, spoke on Europe in the new world order. In October, former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga, gave our annual Coca-Cola World Fund at Yale Lecture on the topic of “Afro-Optimism.” In November, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III joined the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs for a special conversation about “America Today,” moderated by Ambassador John Negroponte.
The Center also received welcome news from the U.S. Department of Education. Yale has been awarded nearly $5.6 million in funding to be used over the course of the next four years for international affairs teaching and programming, as well as for student fellowships for the academic year, and summer study of languages and related courses.
In more sobering news, these past few months have seen much media coverage on the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and its arrival in the U.S. In October, the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI), the Yale World Fellows, and the Yale Undergraduate Association for African Peace and Development (YAAPD) hosted a panel discussion to educate the Yale community on why this disease has proven so virulent and the crisis relief initiatives that are in place.
This is also a time of major transition at MacMillan. After decades of devoted service to MacMillan and to Yale our two Associate Directors, Nancy Ruther and Sandra Nuhn, have decided that the time has come to move on to the next chapters in their lives. Nancy has been here for longer than almost everyone here; it is difficult to imagine the Center without her. Sandy has had a huge impact over the past four years, though she has been an indirect contributor for much longer than that during her many years across the way in Political Science. Both will be greatly missed, in the first instance by the inhabitants of Luce and Rosenkranz Halls, but also much more widely across the international Yale Community.
As the MacMillan globe turns, arrivals follow departures. I am delighted that George Joseph and Rahima Chaudhury are returning to MacMillan in senior administrative capacities. George will serve as Deputy Director, bringing a wealth of expertise from the Office of International Affairs and his Yale development work – most recently on behalf of the India Initiative. Rahima’s new appointment as Associate Director and Operations Manager will be welcomed by everyone at MacMillan. No one at Yale combines her deft understanding of MacMillan’s many intricacies with her sure feel for the evolving terrain of Yale’s financial management and shared services. As Nancy and Sandy depart with our very best wishes, I find it impossible to imagine two surer pairs of hands to take the batons that they are being passed.
Please take a moment to read about some of our many events highlighted in this newsletter. I also hope you have an opportunity to watch The MacMillan Report at www.yale.edu/macmillanreport. In its seventh season, the show features interviews with faculty talking about their latest research.
My warmest wishes to you and yours for a very happy holiday season!
Ian Shapiro
Henry R. Luce Director
Sterling Professor of Political Science