American University School of International Service

Type	Private
Established	1957
Parent institution	American University
Dean	Shannon Hader, MD, MPH
Academic staff	100+ (full-time)[1]
Students	1,600 (undergraduate) 800 (graduate)
Location	Washington, D.C. , United States 38°56′10″N 77°05′17″W / 38.9361°N 77.088°W / 38.9361; -77.088
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	APSIA
Website	american.edu/sis

The School of International Service (SIS) is American University's school of advanced international study, covering areas such as international politics, international communication, international development, international economics, peace and conflict resolution, international law and human rights, global environmental politics, and U.S. foreign policy.

The School of International Service was established in 1957 and has an alumni network of over 20,000. SIS enrolls more than 3,000 students from over 150 countries.^[1][2] The school makes extensive use of the academic and governmental resources offered by its location in Washington, D.C. The School of International Service consistently ranks highly among international relations programs.^[3][4] SIS is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs.^[5] SIS also has partnerships with schools such as the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

History

The founding of schools of international affairs was urged by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the height of the Cold War. His initiative called together thirteen University presidents, including AU's Hurst Robins Anderson, encouraging them to create human-focused international affairs programs dedicated to preparing practitioners for foreign policy beyond the U.S.–Soviet rivalry. In response, SIS was founded with the mission to establish a school based on service to the global community. In 1958, the school admitted its first full-time class, replacing AU's Department of International Relations. The class consisted of 85 students representing 36 countries.

In 1967, SIS added its International Communications program, the first such program offered by an American university. In 1981 SIS inaugurated the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies to address concerns that American universities lacked an appropriate venue for exploring the greater Muslim-Western understanding. In the 1990s, SIS established dual degree programs with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan and Korea University in Seoul, Korea. In 1991, SIS added the Center for the Global South, followed in 1995 by the addition of the Mohammed Said Farsi Chair in Islamic Peace, and in 2000 with a joint program on National Resources and Sustainable Development with the United Nations University for Peace. New degree options implemented in 2010 include the Global Scholars Program, a concentrated three-year B.A. program, an M.A. program in Social Enterprise, and, in partnership with the U.S. Peace Corps, a Master's International degree combining a Peace Corps assignment with SIS academic work.

SIS publications

Clocks and Clouds is American University's undergraduate journal of international affairs.

The Journal of International Service is American University's graduate journal of international affairs.

Intercultural Management Quarterly is published by the Intercultural Management Institute, which provides customized training for effective communication, negotiation, and leadership across cultures.

Academics

Research and learning centers

• ASEAN Studies Center
• Bridging the Gap
• Center for Latin American and Latino Studies
• Center for Global Peace
• Center for Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (COTELCO)
• Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment
• Institute on Disability and Public Policy
• Intercultural Management Institute
• International Affairs Research Institute
• Public International Law and Policy Program
• Transnational Challenges and Emerging Nations Dialogue
• US-Pakistan Women's Council

Notable faculty

Notable current and former SIS faculty include:

• Mohammed Abu-Nimer – expert on conflict-resolution and the politics of the Middle East
• Amitav Acharya– UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance
• Akbar S. Ahmed – former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United Kingdom
• George Ayittey – President of the Free Africa Foundation; political economics professor
• Robert A. Blecker – economist specializing in macroeconomics and international trade theory
• Edmund Ghareeb – Lebanese-American scholar specializing in Middle East politics
• James Goldgeier – foreign policy scholar specializing in American foreign policy, including US-Russia relations
• Louis W. Goodman - international relations scholar, specializing in Latin America
• Frank William La Rue – UN Special Rapporteur and human rights scholar-activist
• Charles Malik – former president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
• Renee Marlin-Bennett – expert on global political economy
• Hamid Mowlana – Iranian-American advisor and academic
• Orlando Letelier – Chilean economist and diplomat
• James H. Mittelman – expert on globalization and development
• Anthony C. E. Quainton – United States Ambassador to the Central African Empire, Kuwait, Nicaragua, and Peru; United States Coordinator for Counterterrorism
• Arturo C. Porzecanski – Distinguished Economist-in-Residence; Professor and Program Director of the MA in International Economic Relations; investor
• Andrew E. Rice – founder of the Society for International Development
• Susan Rice – the 24th United States National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017 during the Barack Obama Administration. She was formerly a U.S. diplomat, Brookings Institution fellow, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She served on the staff of the National Security Council and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during President Bill Clinton's second term.
• Abdul Aziz Said – foreign affairs scholar specializing in diplomacy Islamic world
• David J. Saposs – economist and historian; former chief economist of the National Labor Relations Board
• Cathy Schneider – author and professor of urban politics, comparative social movements, and criminal justice
• Stephen Silvia – scholar of international economics, international trade relations, and comparative politics (with emphasis on Germany and United States)
• Roger Tangri – British-American scholar of African politics
• Irene Tinker – expert on comparative global development; founding board president of the International Center for Research on Women
• Celeste A. Wallander – professor; specialist on military and energy in Russia/Eurasia region; member of the Council on Foreign Relations;
• Paul R. Williams – human rights lawyer and President of the Public International Law & Policy Group
• Ibram X. Kendi - scholar of race and discriminatory policy in America
• Earl Anthony Wayne - Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs and Ambassador to Argentina and Mexico

Notes

External links

• School of International Service