Jackson School of Global Affairs

Jackson School of Global Affairs
Name	Jackson School of Global Affairs
Established	2018
Type	Public professional school
Parent	University of Texas at Austin
City	Austin
State	Texas
Country	United States
Dean	Director Daniel C. Kurtzer

Contents

Jackson School of Global Affairs is a public professional school at the University of Texas at Austin focused on international affairs, development, and diplomacy. It offers graduate and undergraduate programs connecting policy practice with research across regions such as Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The school collaborates with global institutions including the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Union, and African Union.

History

The school was founded in 2018 following a major gift by the oil executive John M. O’Quinn family and philanthropist Randa M. Safady linked to the University of Texas System, the Gates Foundation, and other benefactors associated with initiatives like the Fulbright Program, the Rhodes Scholarship, and the Marshall Scholarship. Early partnerships drew on networks tied to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Wilson Center. Founders and advisers included alumni of the United States Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Senate. The inaugural leadership recruited faculty from institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago, and established collaborations with regional centers like the Asia Society, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

Academic offerings include a Master of Global Affairs with concentrations influenced by curricula at Columbia University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, and George Washington University. Joint-degree paths connect to the McCombs School of Business, the School of Law (University of Texas at Austin), and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, while certificates are offered in areas aligned with programs at the Kennedy School, the Harris School, and the European University Institute. The undergraduate component supports majors and minors with study-abroad options through consortia including the Erasmus Programme, the Council on International Educational Exchange, and the School for International Training. Professional development draws on practicum models used by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Research centers focus on comparative politics, security studies, development economics, and international law, partnering with entities such as the Pew Research Center, the RAND Corporation, the Stimson Center, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The school hosts programs on energy and climate linked to International Energy Agency networks, migration initiatives connected to the International Organization for Migration, and technology and cybersecurity projects coordinated with NATO research groups and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Scholarly output often engages journals like Foreign Affairs, International Organization, World Politics, and Journal of Conflict Resolution, and convenes symposia featuring scholars from the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the European Council on Foreign Relations, and the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Faculty and visiting fellows include former diplomats from the United States Department of State, ambassadors to the United Nations, policy advisers from the White House, and scholars who previously taught at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Administrators maintain ties to professional bodies such as the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, and the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. Visiting lecturers and practitioners have included leaders from the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and former cabinet officials from countries represented at the G20 and the Group of Seven.

Student organizations mirror professional networks such as the Model United Nations, the Rotary International, the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, and regional student groups focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. Career services place graduates in fellowships and positions at institutions including the United States Agency for International Development, the Foreign Service Institute, the Peace Corps, multinational firms like Shell plc, Citigroup, and consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group. Admissions criteria reference standardized tests used by programs at Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs (note: do not link internal variants), with recruitment pipelines drawing from the Peace Corps alumni, Teach For America, and veteran outreach such as the Department of Veterans Affairs transition programs.

Located in Austin, Texas, the school occupies space on the University of Texas at Austin campus near the LBJ Presidential Library and the Blanton Museum of Art, with access to research libraries including the Benson Latin American Collection, the Briscoe Center for American History, and the Harry Ransom Center. Facilities support simulation labs modeled after the United Nations Security Council chamber, data labs with resources comparable to those at the Bureau of Economic Analysis and cloud partnerships with providers used by NASA research centers. Events are staged with partner venues such as the Austin City Limits center, the Paley Center for Media, and convenings drawing diplomats from embassies accredited to the United States and delegates from multilateral meetings like the Summit of the Americas.