[Lisa] This is not a theoretical program. This is
reality and what you’re going to need to know if you want to go into diplomacy or international
relations or global development.
[Fangmiao] I think what makes this the most unique is
the combination of academia and practitioners teaching together for us. So we not only get
the master-level knowledge of subject, we know how to apply that in the real world.
[Resat] Students start with a number of courses that
are about different parts of the world and different issues that relate to those parts
of the world.
[Fangmiao] The first quarter we focused on historical
and political aspects of international studies. Second quarter was more toward economics and
political economy development aspects, and currently we're talking more about the new
emerging security issues.
[Resat] This is one of the oldest schools of international
studies in the country. Its origins go back to early 20th century.
[Fangmiao] The professors are absolutely excellent here.
They're not only knowledgeable about their own field, but they're all really curious
about the world and open to new ideas.
[Stephen] I think what academia can present to them
is dealing with vignettes, dealing with real-world problems, and then how would you solve those?
What is your solution to an ambiguous environment? What is your solution to a non-state actor?
What is your solution to an area that lacks governance?
[Resat] We set up a group of people, who are all volunteers,
who come from some of these organizations that are important to us. And they have agreed
to be members of what we call a civic council.
[Lisa] The program has done an astonishing job of
bringing just a disparate group of incredibly interesting, talented and experienced people
together so that they can provide mentorship opportunities and advice for the students
going through the program. It’s everything from the military to diplomacy to development
to corporate leadership.
[Stephen] We have a tremendous relationship with University
of Washington. We've had leadership forums, we have had councils, we have had meetings
between our soldiers and students. We've had the opportunity to speak to students and watch
them grow and develop.
[Fangmiao] For our graduation programs, we work with
two major Seattle-based organizations, and we actually tackle the actual problem they're
facing right now to make policy recommendations and try to figure out how to make that thing better.
[Lisa] Washington is the most trade-dependent state
in the entire country – the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, which do astonishing business.
We have the greatest collection of global health expertise in the world collected here,
led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And we are an outward-facing population, and
so we have Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft.
[Resat] The agenda, in a way, is no longer set only
by political leaders living in Washington D.C., but they are set by places like this
and by people who work in these companies and these organizations. It's hard for me
to imagine any profession now, in this day and age, that would not benefit from some
knowledge of international affairs.
[Stephen] Because of the complexity we have in the world
right now, you want a leader who's adaptive and agile. You want a leader who can work
in complexity. You want a leader who can understand ambiguity and not be flustered by it.
[Lisa] I am so jealous of the students who get to
be in this program. I mean what could be more interesting? And then if you want a life of
impact, then these are the skills that you need. You know, this is what you’re going
to need to succeed and go out in the world and change it.